THE    COSSACKS 


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COUNT   TOLSTOI'S 

WORKS. 
YOUTH.     . 

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ANNA    KAR^NINA 

CHILDHOOD,   BOYHOOD,  AND 
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MY   RELIGION 

MY  CONFESSION 

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WHAT   MEN    LIVE    BY  (booklet) 
THE   TWO    PILGRIMS  (booklet) 
WHERE    LOVE    IS  (booklet)   .     . 

L   &  CO., 

YORK. 

THOMAS  Y    CROWEL 

PUBLISHERS, 
13   ASTOR    PLACE,   NEW 

The  Cossacks 


A  TALE  OF  THE  CAUCASUS  IN  THE     ' 
YEAR  1852 


BY 
COUNT   LYOF  N.   TOLSTOI 


FROM   THE   RUSSIAN   BY 
NATHAN    HASKELL   DOLE 


AUTHORIZED   TRANSLATION- 


NEW  YORK 

THOMAS    Y.    CROWELL   &    CO. 
13  AsTOR  Place 


'RESERVATION 

;OPYA05E0  ,     ^y^ 


jRiGiNAL  TO  BE 
DETAINED 


6EP19  1994  ,  \ 


qO; 


c 


A 


U 


Copyright,  1888,  by 
Thomas  Y.  Crowell  &  Co. 


Electrotyped  by 
C.  J.  Peters  and  Son,  Boston. 


P(r3344 


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THE  COSSACKS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

All  has  become  silent  in  Moscow. 

Only  now  and  then  is  heard  the  creaking  of 
wheels  over  the  snow.  The  windows  are  dark, 
the  street  lamps  already  extinguished. 

From  the  churches  the  sounds  of  bells  are 
borne  abroad,  and,  as  they  go  swelling  over  the 
slumbering  city,  they  bring  promise  of  the  morn- 
ing. 

The  streets  are  deserted.  Occasionally  a  night 
cab  ploughs  its  way  on  narrow  runners  through  the 
sand  and  snow,  and  the  driver,  drawing  up  at  the 
next  corner,  drops  into  a  doze  as  he  waits  for  a 
fare. 

An  old  woman  passes  into  the  church,  where 
the  wax  tapers,  unsymmetrically  disposed,  burn, 
casting  ruddy  reflections  here  and  there  on  the 
golden  background  of  the  holy  pictures. 

The  long  winter's  night  has  begun  to  wane,  and 
the  working  populace  arise  and  go  to  their  toil. 


hA^rk*?G^  y^ 


2  THE   COSSACKS. 

But  for  men  of  fashion  it  is  still  "the  evening." 

At  Chevalier s  there  is  a  light  shining  under 
the  closed  shutters  of  one  of  the  windows,  con- 
trary to  the  police  ordinance.  At  the  door,  a 
carriage  and  a  sledge  are  drawn  up  ;  the  drivers 
huddle  together  with  their  backs  to  the  wall.  A 
three-span  from  the  post-station  also  stands  there 
in  waiting.  The  well  muffled  doorkeeper  crouches 
down  behind  the  corner  of  the  house,  as  though 
he  were  trying  to  hide. 

"  I  wish  they  would  finish  threshing  their  chaff 
in  there ! "  is  the  mental  exclamation  of  a  sleepy- 
faced  lackey  sitting  in  the  anteroom.  "  And  it 
keeps  me  up  all  night  on  duty !  " 

From  the  small,  brightly  lighted  chamber  ad- 
joining are  heard  the  voices  of  three  young  men 
at  supper.  They  are  sitting  at  a  table  whereon 
are  strewed  empty  bottles,  wine-glasses,  and  the 
remains  of  their  banquet. 

One  of  them  —  a  small,  lean,  homely  man, 
neatly  dressed — sits  looking  with  affectionate, 
weary  eyes  at  the  friend  who  is  evidently  bound 
on  a  journey. 

The  second  has  stretched  out  his  long  limbs 
near  the  table,  and  is  toying  with  his  watch-key. 

The  third,  in  a  new,  fur-trimmed  coat,  is  strid- 
ing up  and  down  the  room,  occasionally  pausing 


THE   COSSACKS. 


3 


to  crack  an  almond  between  his  rather  plump, 
muscular,  and  carefully  tended  fingers.  A  smile 
hovers  over  his  lips,  his  eyes  flash,  and  his  face  is 
aglow.  He  is  talking  with  animation,  and  makes 
frequent  gestures,  but  it  is  evident  that  words 
fail  him,  or,  rather,  that  whatever  words  leap  to 
his  lips  are  insufficient  to  express  the  thoughts 
that  fill  his  heart.     And  yet  he  smiles  constantly. 

"  The  whole  thing  can  be  told  now  !  "  he  ex- 
claims. "I  don't  pretend  to  justify  myself,  but  I 
should  think  that  you,  at  least,  might  understand 
me  in  the  same  way  as  I  understand  myself,  and 
not  as  the  vulgar  herd  look  upon  this  affair.  You 
say  that  I  am  to  blame  toward  her,"  he  adds, 
addressing  the  one  who  is  looking  at  him  with 
affectionate  eyes. 

"Yes,  you  are  to  blame,"  replies  the  little, 
homely  man,  and  it  seems  as  though  his  eyes 
expressed  more  weariness  and  affection  than  ever. 

"  I  know  why  you  say  so,"  continued  the  other. 
"The  happiness  of  being  loved,  according  to  your 
notion,  is  precisely  the  same  as  of  being  in  love, 
and  is  sufficient  to  fill  one's  whole  life,  if  one  only 
chance  to  meet  with  it." 

"  Indeed,  it  is  quite  sufficient,  dear  heart.  It  is 
more  than  a  necessity,"  insists  the  homely  little 
man,  blinking  his  eyes. 


4  THE   COSSACKS. 

"  But  why  should  not  a  man  be  able  to  recipro- 
cate such  love  ?  "  suggests  the  other,  in  a  musing 
tone,  and  looking  at  his  friend  with  a  sort  of  com- 
miseration. "  Fall  in  love  ?  It  is  not  a  question 
of  will.  No  !  to  be  loved  is  a  misfortune,  a  mis- 
fortune, when  you "  are  conscious  that  you  are 
guilty  of  not  giving  what  is  beyond  your  power  to 
give.  Oh,  my  God  !  "  —  He  made  an  abrupt  ges- 
ture with  his  hand.  "  You  see,  if  all  this  hap- 
pened according  to  reason,  —  but  everything  is  at 
sixes  and  sevens,  as  though  it  all  took  place  not  as 
we  would  have  it,  but  arbitrarily  —  it  looks  ex- 
actly as  though  I  had  stolen  this  lady's  love ! 
Even  you  think  so ;  don't  deny  it ;  you  cannot 
help  thinking  so.  But  would  you  believe  that,  of 
the  many  foolish  and  detestable  things  which  I 
have  succeeded  in  doing  in  my  life,  this  is  the 
only  one  which  I  do  not  regret  and  which  I  cannot 
regret  ?  Neither  at  first  nor  last  have  I  been 
false  to  myself  or  to  her.  At  one  time  I  did 
think  that  at  last  I  was  going  to  fall  in  love,  but  I 
soon  came  to  see  that  this  was  a  mistake  for 
which  I  was  not  responsible,  and  that  men  do  not 
love  in  any  such  way,  and  that  I  must  stop  where 
I  was.  .  .  .  But  she  went  further.  Now,  how  was 
I  to  blame  for  my  inability }  What  was  left  for 
me  to  do  }  " 


THE   COSSACKS.  t 

"Well,  it  is  all  over  now,"  said  his  friend,  puff- 
ing at  his  cigar  so  as  to  keep  awake.  "  Only 
there's  one  thing ;  you  have  never  yet  been  in 
love,  and  you  have  not  the  faintest  idea  what  it 
means  to  love." 

The  young  man  in  the  fur-lined  coat  had  the 
impulse  to  say  something  more,  and  flung  his 
hands  to  his  head.  But  he  refrained  from  saying 
what  he  had  in  his  mind  to  say. 

"  Yes !  you  are  right !  I  have  never  been  in 
love.  And  yet  I  have  the  desire  to  love,  and  it  is 
stronger  than  any  other  desire.  And  then,  again, 
I  question  if  there  is  any  such  love  possible. 
There  is  always  something  incomplete  and  unsat- 
isfactory about  it.  But  what  is  the  use  of  talk- 
ing ?  All  my  life  long  I  have  missed  the  right 
track,  missed  the  right  track.  But  now  that  is  all 
over,  as  you  say.  And  I  have  a  consciousness 
that  a  new  life  is  opening  for  me." 

"  You  will  make  a  muddle  of  it  just  the  same," 
said  the  tall  man,  who  was  lying  on  the  sofa  and 
toying  with  his  watch-key ;  but  the  traveller  did 
not  hear  what  he  said. 

"  I  feel  both  sad  and  glad  at  the  thought  of  go- 
ing," he  went  on  to  say.  "  Why  sad  }  I  am  sure 
I  don't  know."  And  the  young  man  proceeded  to 
talk  about  himself,  to  the  exclusion  of  everything 


5  THE   COSSACKS. 

else,  not  noticing  that  this  was  not  as  interesting 
to  his  companions  as  it  was  to  himself. 

A  man  is  never  so  much  of  an  egotist  as  at  the 
moment  when  his  whole  being  is  stirred  with 
spiritual  exaltation.  It  seems  to  him  that  there  is 
nothing  in  the  world  more  beautiful,  more  inter- 
esting, than  himself  at  such  a  moment. 

"Dmitri  Andreyevitch,  the  driver  won't  wait 
any  longer,"  said  a  young  body-servant,  in  a  sheep- 
skin coat,  and  muffled  up  in  a  scarf,  coming  in  at 
this  moment.  "The  horses  were  ready  at  twelve, 
and  now  it  is  four." 

Dmitri  Andreyevitch  looked  at  his  Vanyusha. 
In  the  folds  of  his  scarf,  in  his  felt  boots,  in  his 
sleepy  face,  he  seemed  to  hear  the  voice  of  a  new 
life  summoning  him  —  a  life  of  toil,  privation,  ac- 
tivity. 

"  Well,  this  time  it  is  good-bye  in  earnest,"  he 
said,  trying  to  fasten  a  neglected  button. 

Paying  no  heed  to  the  suggestion  to  give  an  ex- 
tra fee  to  the  impatient  driver,  he  put  on  his  cap, 
and  then  paused  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  The 
young  men  kissed  each  other  once  and  again  ; 
paused,  and  then  exchanged  still  a  third  kiss.  The 
one  who  had  been  called  Dmitri  went  to  the  table, 
drained  a  champagne  glass,  seized  the  homely  little 
man  by  the  hand,  and  a  flush  spread  over  his  face. 


THE   COSSACKS.  j 

It  is  no  use,  I  will  tell  you  —  I  must  be  frank 
toward  you,  and  I  can  be,  because  I  am  your  friend. 
You  love  her,  do  you  not  ?  I  always  thought  so  — 
am  I  not  right  ? " 

"  Yes,"  assented  his  friend,  with  a  still  more  af- 
fectionate smile. 

"And  possibly  —  " 

"  If  you  please,  I  am  ordered  to  put  out  the  can- 
dles," said  the  sleepy  servant,  who  had  been  listen- 
ing to  the  last  part  of  the  conversation,  and  was 
wondering  why  these  gentlemen  confined  them- 
selves always  to  one  and  the  same  subject.  "To 
whom  shall  this  account  be  charged.?  To  you  }  " 
he  added,  addressing  the  tall  young  man,  as 
though  knowing  beforehand  with  whom  he  had  to 
deal. 

**  Yes,"  replied  the  tall  man  ;  "  how  much  is 
it  > " 

"  Twenty-six  rubles." 

The  tall  man  pondered  for  a  moment,  but  made 
no  objection,  and  stuffed  the  score  into  his  pocket. 

Meantime  the  other  two  kept  on  with  their  own 
affairs. 

"  Farewell,  my  dear  old  fellow,"  said  the  homely 
little  gentleman,  with  the  affectionate  eyes. 

The  tears  started  to  the  eyes  of  both  of  them. 
They  came  out  on  the  porch. 


8  THE   COSSACKS. 

"  Oh !  see  here,"  exclaimed  the  traveller,  red- 
dening, and  turning  to  the  tall  young  man.  "  You 
settle  the  account  with  Chevalier,  and  then  write 
me." 

"All  right,"  replied  the  other,  drawing  on  his 
gloves,  and  then,  as  they  stood  on  the  steps,  he 
added  most  unexpectedly  :  "  How  I  envy  you  !  " 

The  traveller  had  taken  his  seat  in  the  sledge, 
and  wrapped  himself  up  in  his  furs ;  but  when  he 
heard  those  last  words  he  said  :  **  Well,  then,  come 
along  with  me,"  and  moved  along  in  the  sledge,  so 
as  to  make  room  for  him.     His  voice  trembled. 

But  the  other  replied,  "  Good-bye,  Mitya  ;  God 
grant  you .  .  ."  He  had  no  other  wish  for  him  ex- 
cept that  he  should  start  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
that  was  why  he  did  not  finish  his  sentence. 

They  were  all  silent.  Then  one  of  them  said, 
"Good-bye."  A  voice  rang  out,  "Go  on."  And 
the  driver  started  up  his  horses. 

"Yelizar,  bring  up  my  team,"  cried  one  of  the 
friends  left  behind.  The  cab-drivers  and  coach- 
man started  up,  clucked,  and  twitched  on  their 
reins.  The  frozen  wheels  creaked  over  the 
snow. 

"  Splendid  young  fellow,  that  Olyenin  ! "  ex- 
claimed one  of  the  young  men.  "  But  what  an 
odd   freak  to  go  off   to   the  Caucasus,  and  as  a 


THE   COSSACKS. 


9 


yunker^  too  !  I  wouldn't  be  hired  to  do  it  !  Are 
you  going  to  dine  at  the  club  to-morrow  ? " 

'*I  am." 

And  the  friends  separated. 

It  seemed  warm  to  the  traveller  ;  his  furs  were 
oppressive.  He  sat  on  the  bottom  of  the  sledge 
and  threw  back  his  furs,  and  the  hired  three-span, 
with  their  bristling  manes,  dashed  from  one  dark 
street  into  another,  past  houses  which  he  had 
never  seen  before.  It  seemed  to  Olyenin  that 
only  those  bound  on  long  journeys  ever  rode 
through  these  streets. 

All  about  was  dark,  silent,  and  melancholy,  and 
his  soul  was  so  full  of  recollections,  of  love,  of 
regrets,  and  of  pleasant,  oppressive  tears.  .  .  . 

*  A  yunker  (German, y««/vr)  is  a  young  man  of  noble  family 
attached  to  the  army  as  non-commissioned  officer.  Count  Tolstoi 
himself  passed  his  examination  at  Tiflis  and  became  a  yunker 
in  1851. 


CHAPTER    II. 

"  I  AM  in  love  !  Very  much  in  love  !  Splendid 
fellows  !  It  is  good  !  "  He  repeated  these  words 
over  and  over,  and  felt  a  strong  inclination  to 
shed   tears. 

But  he  had  not  a  very  distinct  idea  of  what  he 
should  weep  about,  nor  who  were  splendid  fel- 
lows, nor  with  whom  he  was  in  love. 
^  From  time  to  time  he  cast  a  fleeting  glance  at 
some  house,  and  wondered  why  it  was  built  in 
such  a  strange  way ;  and  then  again  he  wondered 
why  the  driver  and  Vanyusha,  who  were  such 
complete  strangers  to  him,  were  riding  so  near 
to  him,  and  swaying  and  jolting,  just  as  he  him- 
self did,  as  the  off  horses  twitched  on  the  frozen 
traces.     And  once  more  he  exclaimed  :  — 

"  Splendid  fellows  !  I  am  in  love  !  "  and  this 
time,  he  added  :  "  How  well  that  suits  !  Admi- 
rable ! " 

And  now  he  began  to  wonder  for  what  purpose 
he  had  said  that,  and  he  asked  himself  :  *'  It  can't 
be  that  I  am  drunk,  can  it  ? " 

10 


THE   COSSACKS.  II 

The  fact  was,  Olyenin  had  taken  two  whole 
bottles  of  champagne,  but  it  was  not  the  wine 
alone  that  served  to  stimulate  him.  He  recalled 
all  the  apparently  cordial  words  of  friendship 
which  were  shyly,  perhaps  even  unexpectedly,  said 
to  him,  before  his  departure.  He  recalled  the 
warm  pressure  of  hands,  the  glances,  the  mo- 
ments of  silence  that  spoke  louder  than  words, 
the  tone  of  voice  in  which  his  friend  had  said, 
"Good-bye,  Mitya,"  just  as  he  had  taken  his  seat 
in  the  sledge.  He  recalled  his  own  resolute 
frankness. 

And  all  this  had  a  softening  influence  upon 
him.  Before  his  departure,  not  only  his  friends. 
and  his  relatives,  not  only  those  who  were  indif- 
ferent to  him,  but  also  uncongenial,  unfriendly 
people,  without  exception,  as  it  were  with  one 
consent,  had  seemed  to  manifest  a  sudden  affec- 
tion for  him,  and  bid  him  farewell  as  though  he 
were  going  to  the  confessional  or  to  death. 

*'  It  may  be  that  I  am  destined  not  to  return 
from  the  Caucasus,"  he  said  to  himself.  And  it 
seemed  to  him  that  his  heart  was  overflowing 
with  love  for  his  friends,  and  for  some  one  else 
beside.     And  a  feeling  of  self-pity  came  over  him. 

But  it  was  not  love  for  his  friends  that  thus 
softened  and  elevated  his  soul,  and  prevented  him 


12  THE   COSSACKS. 

from  keeping  back  the  thoughtless  words  that 
sprang  to  his  lips  of  their  own  accord  —  nor  was 
it  love  for  any  woman  —  for  he  had  never,  as  yet, 
been  in  love  —  that  induced  this  state  of  mind. 

It  was  love  for  himself,  the  warm,  sanguine  love 
of  youth  toward  all  that  was  good  in  his  heart 
(and  now  it  seemed  to  him  that  there  was  nothing 
but  good  there)  ;  this  it  was  that  started  the 
fountains  of  his  tears,  and  caused  him  to  mutter 
disconnected  words. 

Olyenin  was  a  young  man  who  had  left  the  uni- 
versity before  his  graduation,  who  had  never  been 
in  active  service,  —  having  merely  had  his  name 
registered  in  some  government  office, — who  had 
squandered  half  of  his  patrimony,  and  who,  though 
he  was  now  twenty-four  years  old,  had  never 
chosen  any  career,  and  had  never  done  anything. 
He  had  been  what  is  called  a  "  young  man  "  in 
Moscow  society. 

Since  his  eighteenth  year,  Olyenin  had  been  as 
absolutely  free  from  restraint  as  was  possible  only 
for  the  rich  young  men  of  Russia  during  "  the 
forties,"  especially  when  they  had  lost  their  par- 
ents in  childhood.  He  had  not  been  troubled  by 
any  kind  of  fetters,  either  physical  or  moral.  He 
could  do  whatever  he  pleased  ;  he  had  no  need  of 
anything  whatever ;  he  recognized  no  claims  upon 


THE   COSSACKS.  j^ 

him.  He  was  independent  of  family  and  country 
and  religion  and  want.  He  was  utterly  lacking 
in  faith  ;  he  held  himself  accountable  to  no  one. 
But,  though  he  had  these  characteristics,  he  was 
far  from  being  a  gloomy,  life-weary,  logical  young 
man,  but,  on  the  contrary,  he  was  forever  being 
carried  away  by  impulses.  He  would  argue  that 
love  did  not  exist,  and  the  mere  presence  of  a 
handsome  young  woman  threw  him  into  uncon- 
trollable emotion. 

He  had  been  long  convinced  that  rank  and 
honors  were  absurdities,  yet  he  could  not  help 
feeling  gratified  when  Prince  Sergyei',  at  the 
ball,  came  over  to  him  and  made  flattering 
remarks. 

But,  though  he  gave  his  impulses  free  rein,  he 
did  not  allow  them  to  run  away  with  him.  In  any 
case  when  he  had  taken  up  some  new  enthusiasm, 
as  soon  as  he  began  to  suspect  that  toil  and  strife, 
even  the  petty  struggles  of  life,  were  at  hand, 
he  instinctively  made  haste  to  get  rid  of  the  feel- 
ing or  affair,  and  to  regain  his  freedom. 

In  this  way  he  had  begun  to  devote  himself  to  a 
life  of  pleasure,  to  service  of  his  country,  to  over- 
seeing his  estate,  to  music,  which  he  had  at  one 
time  seriously  thought  of  adopting  as  his  profes- 
sion.    He   had  even  made  some   experiments   in 


14  THE   COSSACKS. 

love  toward  women,  but  he  had  no  belief  in  such  a 
thing. 

He  had  been  in  a  quandary  as  to  the  question 
where  —  whether  in  art  or  in  science,  in  love  or  in 
practical  activity  —  it  was  best  for  him  to  exercise 
all  the  youthful  energy  which  a  man  possesses 
only  once  in  his  life,  not  the  energy  of  intellect, 
of  heart,  of  imagination,  but  rather  the  fresh  spon- 
taneity which,  when  once  lost,  can  never  return, 
the  virtue  only  once  given  to  a  man,  to  make 
himself  whatever  he  wishes  or  seems  best  to  him, 
and  to  make  of  the  whole  world  all  that  his  heart 
desires. 

It  is  true,  there  are  men  lacking  this  potency, 
and  these,  entering  life,  accept  the  first  harness 
that  is  put  on  them,  and  work  soberly  in  it  to  the 
end  of  their  days.  But  Olyenin  was  too  power- 
fully conscious  in  himself  of  the  presence  of  this 
omnipotent  divinity  of  youth,  this  capacity  of  being 
absorbed  in  one  desire,  in  one  thought,  the  capac- 
ity of  willing  and  of  doing,  of  throwing  himself 
head  first  into  any  bottomless  abyss  without 
knowing  why  or  wherefore.  He  carried  with  him 
this  consciousness,  was  proud  of  it,  and,  without 
himself  knowing  it,  was  made  happy  by  it.  Hith- 
erto the  only  object  of  his  affection  had  been  him- 
self, and  this  was  inevitable  because  he  expected 


THE   COSSACKS. 


15 


from  himself  nothing  but  what  was  good,  and  he 
had  not  as  yet  lost  his  illusions  about  himself. 

Now  that  he  was  taking  his  departure  from 
Moscow,  he  found  himself  in  that  happy  youthful 
frame  of  mind  in  which,  recognizing  the  mistakes 
that  he  has  made,  a  young  man  suddenly  confesses 
that  he  has  not  been  on  the  right  track,  that  all 
his  previous  actions  have  been  undirected  and 
meaningless,  that  hitherto  he  has  not  even  had 
the  desire  to  live  rightly,  —  but  that  now,  as  he 
leaves  his  former  haunts,  a  new  life  is  beginning, 
in  which  he  will  avoid  his  old  mistakes,  his  old  re- 
grets, and  beyond  a  peradventure  find  nothing  but 
happiness. 

It  always  happens,  when  you  take  a  long  jour- 
ney, that,  even  after  the  horses  have  been  changed 
two  or  three  times,  the  imagination  lags  behind  in 
the  very  place  whence  you  started,  and  then  sud- 
denly, on  the  first  morning  that  finds  you  on  the 
road,  leaps  forward  to  the  goal  and  there  begins 
to  build  the  air-castles  of  the  future.  This  was 
what  happened  to  Olyenin. 

As  soon  as  he  was  beyond  the  city  limits  and 
saw  the  wide  stretch  of  snow-covered  fields,  he 
rejoiced  in  the  sense  of  solitude  ;  he  wrapped  his 
furs  around  him,  stretched  himself  out  comfortably 
in  the  bottom  of  the  sledge,  and  dozed.     The  part- 


1 5  THE   COSSACKS. 

ing  with  his  friends  had  stirred  him  deeply,  and 
his  mind  began  to  call  up  all  the  events  of  the 
past  winter  which  he  had  spent  in  Moscow ;  — 
pictures  of  what  had  happened,  mingled  with  con- 
fused thoughts  and  regrets,  began  to  throng 
through  his  irriagination. 

He  remembered  the  friend  from  whom  he  had 
taken  leave,  and  his  relations  to  the  young  girl  of 
whom  they  had  been  speaking.  This  young  girl 
was  rich. 

"  How  was  it  possible  for  him  to  love  her  when 
he  knew  that  she  was  in  love  with  me  }''  he  asked 
himself,  and  unworthy  suspicions  arose  in  his 
mind.  "Men  are  so  dishonorable,  when  one  comes 
to  search  into  their  motives.  But  why  is  it  that 
I  have  never  yet  really  fallen  in  love  }  " 

The  question  presented  itself  fairly  before  him. 
"  They  all  tell  me  that  I  have  never  been  in  love. 
Can  it  be  that  I  am  a  moral  monster.?'* 

And  he  began  to  recall  his  former  flames.  His 
memory  took  him  back  to  his  first  entry  into  so- 
ciety, and  the  sister  of  one  of  his  friends,  with 
whom  he  used  to  spend  whole  evenings  at  the 
'table,  near  the  lamp,  which  cast  its  light  on  her 
slender  fingers,  busied  with  her  embroidery,  and 
on  the  lower  part  of  her  pretty,  delicate  face  ;  and 
he  remembered  their  conversations,  as  intermina- 


THE  COSSACKS.  1 7 

ble  as  the  game  of  "  Fox,"  '  and  his  general  sense 
of  awkwardness  and  constraint,  and  his  constant 
'  sense  of  effort  to  overcome  this  diffidence.  But  a 
voice  kept  whispering  in  his  ear,  "  Not  this  one, 
not  this  one,"  and  indeed  it  had  proved  to  be  not 
this  one. 

Then  he  recalled  a  ball,  and  how  he  danced  the 
mazurka  with  the  beautiful  D . 

"  How  deeply  in  love  I  was  that  eventng,  and 
how  happy  !  And  what  a  sense  of  pain  and  vexa- 
tion came  over  me  the  next  morning  when  I  awoke 
and  realized  that  I  was  still  free  !  Why  is  it  that 
love  has  eluded  me  ?  Why  has  she  not  held  me 
captive  hand  and  foot  ?  "  he  asked  himself.  **  No  ! 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  love  !  Our  young  neigh- 
bor, who  used  to  tell  me  and  Dubrovin  and  the 
marshal  that  she  loved  the  stars,  —  she  also  was 
not  the  one'' 

And  then  he  recalls  his  experiment  in  managing 
his  estate  in  the  country,  and  again  finds  no  cause 
for  self-congratulation.  The  question  comes  into 
his  mind  whether  "they  "  will  have  much  to  say 
about  his  going  off  to  the  Caucasus,  but  he  him- 
self has  no  clear  idea  of  whom  he  means  by  tJiey, 
and  this  thought  is  followed  by  another,  that  makes 
him  frown  and  utter  inarticulate  sounds ;  it  is  the 

» "  Zhif-zhif  kurilka;*  "  The  fox  is  alive." 


1 8  THE   COSSACKS. 

recollection  of  his  tailor,  M.-Capel,  and  the  unpaid 
account  of  six  hundred  and  seven-eight  rubles  ; 
he  even  recalls  the  words  that  he  had  used  in 
urging  the  tailor  to  wait  another  year,  and  the  ex- 
pression of  perplexity  and  submission  to  fate  that 
came  into  the  tailor's  face. 

*'  Oh  !  my  God  !  my  God  !  "  he  exclaims  again 
and  again,  winking  his  eyes  and  trying  to  banish 
the  unwelcome  thought.  "  And  yet  she  loved  me 
in  spite  of  all  that,"  he  says,  trying  to  comfort 
himself  with  the  thought  of  the  young  girl  of 
whom  they  had  been  speaking  that  evening. 
"  Yes,  if  I  had  married  her,  I  should  have  got  out 
of  debt,  but  now  my  tailor's  bill  is  still  unpaid,  and 
Vasflyef  holds  my  note  of  hand." 

He  passed  in  review  the  last  evening  that  he  had 
played  cards  with  Mr.  Vasflyef  at  the  club,  where 
he  went  directly  after  leaving  her  house,  and  he 
remembered  his  humiliating  entreaties  to  be  al- 
lowed to  play  one  more  hand,  and.  his  opponent's 
haughty  refusal. 

"  A  year  of  economy  and  I  shall  clear  it  all  off, 
and  —  the  devil  take  'em." 

But,  in  spite  of  this  assurance,  he  begins  once 
more  to  calculate  his  debts,  the  periods  that  they 
had  to  run,  and  the  possible  time  for  their  redemp- 
tion. 


THE   COSSACKS.  1 9 

"  Let  me  see  !  I  have  an  account  at  Morel's,  as 
well  as  at  Chevalier's."  And  he  recalls  that  whole 
night  in  which  he  had  run  up  such  an  account.  It 
was  for  a  carouse  with  the  gypsies,  which  had 
been  arranged  in  honor  of  visitors  from  Peters- 
burg, —  Sashka  B ,  one  of  the  Emperor's  staff, 

and  Prince  D ,  and  a  certain  elderly  gentleman 

of  some  note. 

"  I  wonder  why  it  was  that  they  were  so  self- 
satisfied,  and  what  ground  they  have  for  the  forma- 
tion of  that  select  circle,  admission  to  which,  ac- 
cording to  their  conceit,  is  such  an  honor.  Is  it 
because  they  are  attached  to  the  Emperor's  staff? 
Why !  it  is  perfectly  disgusting  the  way  they  look 
down  upon  other  men,  as  blockheads  and  boors ! 
I  made  it  evident  to  them  that  I  had  no  wish  to 
become  one  of  them.  Nevertheless,  Andr6Y,  my 
overseer,  I  suppose,  would  have  been  mightily  im- 
pressed at  seeing  me  on  such  intimate  terms  with 

gentlemen  like   Sashka  B ,  colonel  and  aid  to 

the  Emperor.  .  .  .  And,  besides,  no  one  drank 
more  than  I  did  that  evening ;  I  taught  the  gyp- 
sies a  new  song,  and  they  all  listened.  Supposing 
I  have  done  all  sorts  of  foolish  things,  still  I  am 
at  heart  a  very,  very  worthy  young  man." 

This  was  his  honest  conviction. 

Morning  found  Oly^nin  at  the  third  post-station. 


20  .  THE   COSSACKS. 

He  drank  his  tea,  helped  Vanyusha  rearrange  his 
parcels  and  trunks,  and  then  took  his  place  in  the 
sledge  in  accordance  with  all  reason,  good  order, 
and  comfort,  knowing  where  his  belongings  were 
disposed  —  where  his  money  was,  and  how  much 
he  had,  and  with  his  necessary  documents  ready 
to  show  —  and  all  this  seemed  to  him  to  have 
been  done  in  such  a  practical  way  that  it  filled  his 
heart  with  joy,  and  the  long  journey  assumed  the 
aspect  of  a  perpetual  pleasure  excursion. 

During  the  whole  course  of  the  morning  he  was 
busy  with  arithmetical  calculations ;  how  many 
versts  he  had  already  gone ;  how  far  it  was  to  the 
next  post-station,  to  the  next  city ;  how  much  dis- 
tance he  should  accomplish  before  dinner,  before 
tea ;  how  far  it  was  to  Stavropol  ;  and  what  pro- 
portion of  the  whole  journey  was  represented  by 
the  part  already  accomplished. 

Then  he  also  calculated  how  much  money  he 
had,  how  much  he  had  spent,  how  much  was 
needed  to  settle  all  his  debts,  and  what  portion  of 
his  whole  income  he  should  be  obliged  to  disburse 
each  month. 

In  the  evening,  while  drinking  his  tea,  he  made 
the  calculation  that  he  was  seven-elevenths  of  the 
whole  distance  from  Moscow  to  Stavropol  and 
that  his  debts  demanded  seven  months  of  close 


THE   COSSACKS,  21 

economy  and  one-eighth  of  all  his  fortune, — and, 
having  thus  satisfied  his  mind,  he  wrapped  himself 
up  in  his  furs,  stretched  out  in  the  sledge,  and 
once  more  fell  into  a  doze. 

This  time  his  imagination  began  to  picture  what 
lay  before  him  in  the  Caucasus.  All  his  dreams 
of  the  future  were  woven  with  visions  of  such 
heroes  as  Amalat-bek,  of  Circassian  maids,  moun- 
tain gorges,  tremendous  torrents,  and  perils. 
There  was  nothing  clear  and  definite  in  all  this ; 
but  glory,  alluring,  and  death,  threatening,  consti- 
tuted the  interest  of  this  unknown  future.  Now 
he  imagined  himself  with  unheard-of  bravery  and 
amazing  prowess  killing  and  conquering  a  count- 
less multitude  of  mountaineers  ;  now  that  he  him- 
self was  a  mountaineer,  taking  sides  with  his 
countrymen  to  defend  his  independence  against 
the  Russians. 

As  soon,  however,  as  he  began  to  fill  out  the 
picture  with  details,  then  his  old  Moscow  acquaint- 
ances   made    their    appearance.     Sashka    B 

seemed  to  be  there  fighting  against  him  with  the 
Russians  or  the  mountaineers.  In  some  inexpli- 
cable way  even  his  tailor,  M.  Capel,  takes  part  in 
the  triumphs  of  the  victor.  If,  meantime,  he 
recalls  his  old  humiliations,  weaknesses,  errors, 
still  the  recollection  has  its  pleasant  side.     It  is 


22  THE   COSSACKS. 

clear  that  there,  amid  the  mountains,  Circassian 
maids,  and  perils,  such  errors  cannot  be  repeated. 
He  has  once  for  all  made  confession  of  them 
before  the  shrine  of  his  own  soul,  and  they  are 
done  with  forever. 

There  is  one  other  very  precious  vision  that 
constantly  rises  in  the  young  man's  conceptions  of 
the  future. 

This  dream  is  about  a  woman. 

And  now  she  presents  herself  to  his  imagination 
in  the  guise  of  a  Circassian  slave  among  the  moun- 
tains, a  maiden  of  graceful  form,  with  long  braids 
of  hair  and  deep,  submissive  eyes.  He  beholds 
the  lonely  hut  among  the  mountains,  and  at  the 
door  she  stands  waiting  and  watching  for  him  to 
return  to  her,  weary,  covered  with  dust,  with 
blood,  with  glory ;  and  he  marvels  at  her  kiss,  her 
shoulders,  her  witching  voice,  her  submissiveness. 
She  is  lovely  but  uncultivated,  wild,  and  rough. 
During  the  long  winter  evenings  he  lays  the  first 
foundations  of  her  education.  She  is  clever,  re- 
ceptive, gifted,  and  quickly  adapts  herself  to  all 
the  indispensable  requirements  of  knowledge. 
Why  should  it  not  be  so }  She  has  great  capacity 
for  acquiring  a  new  language,  for  reading  the  mas- 
terpieces of  French  literature  and  understanding 
them.     "  Notre  Dame  de  Paris,'^  for  exam2:)le,  will 


THE   COSSACKS.  23 

surely  be  a  delight  to  her.  She  will  even  be  able 
to  speak  French,  and  in  the  drawing-room  she 
will  be  able  to  show  more  natural  dignity  than  any 
lady  of  the  highest  society-  She  can  sing  too  — 
simply,  powerfully,  passionately. 

**  Ah,  what  rubbish ! "  he  said  to  himself,  and 
just  then  they  arrived  at  some  post-station,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  transfer  his  luggage  from  one 
sledge  to  another  and  give  the  men  vodka  money. 
But  once  more  his  mind  was  filled  with  the  same 
imaginations  which  he  had  just  called  rubbish,  and 
again  he  seemed  to  see  the  Circassian  maids,  him- 
self returning  to  Russia  crowned  with  glory,  be- 
coming the  Emperor's  aid,  winning  a  lovely  wife ! 

"But  there  !  I  don't  believe  that  there  is  such  a 
thing  as  love,"  he  found  himself  saying,  "and 
honors  are  rubbish.  .  .  .  And  how  about  that  six 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  rubles  ?  .  .  .  But  will 
not  a  conquered  province  put  more  wealth  into  my 
hands  than  I  shall  need  for  my  whole  life  ?  .  .  . 
Besides  it  will  not  be  right  to  make  use  of  such 
wealth  for  myself  alone.  I  shall  have  to  share  it. 
.  .  .  But  with  whom  ?  .  .  .  Six  hundred  and 
seventy-eighty  rubles  to  Capel,  and  then  we  can 
see  about  the  rest,  .  .  ." 

And  now  his  thought  becomes  entirely  confused 
with  disconnected  visions,   and   only  Vanyusha's 


24  THE   COSSACKS. 

voice  and  the  consciousness  of  arrested  motion 
disturb  his  healthy  young  sleep,  and  in  a  daze  he 
crawls  into  a  fresh  sledge  at  another  station,  and 
thus  his  journey  proceeds. 

The  next  morning  the  same  thing  takes  place  — 
the  same  post-stations,  the  same  tea,  the  same 
horses  with  their  energetic  motions,  the  same 
brief  colloquies  with  Vanyusha,  the  same  indefi- 
nite visions  as  the  day  closes,  and  the  same 
healthy  young  sleep  of  fatigue  through  the  night. 


CHAPTER   III. 

The  farther  Olyenin  travelled  from  the  centre 
of  Russia,  the  more  distant  all  his  recollection 
seemed  ;  the  nearer  he  came  to  the  Caucasus,  the 
more  light-hearted  he  grew.  The  idea  of  going 
away  entirely,  of  never  returning,  of  never  again 
appearing  in  society,  kept  recurring  to  his  mind. 

**  Now,  these  men  whom  I  see  here  are  not  peo- 
ple;  not  one  of  them  knows  me  and  not  one  of 
them  can  have  ever  been  in  the  same  society  in 
Moscow  in  which  I  moved,  or  knows  about  my 
past.  And  no  one  in  that  society  will  know  what 
I  have  been  doing  during  my  life  among  those 
people." 

A  hitherto  unexampled  sense  of  freedom  from 
all  his  past  life  came  over  him,  as  he  found 
himself  amid  all  the  coarse  beings  whom  he  en- 
countered on  the  way  and  whom  he  did  not  dream 
of  calling /^^//^  in  the  same  sense  as  his  old  ac- 
quaintances in  Moscow.  The  rougher  they  were, 
the  less  they  were  marked  by  the  characteristics 
of  civilized  life,  the  greater  became  his  sense  of 
freedom. 

25 


26  THE   COSSACKS. 

Stavropol,  through  which  he  was  forced  to  pass, 
vexed  his  spirit.  The  signboards,  —  even  sign- 
boards in  French,  —  the  ladies  in  barouches,  the 
hacks  drawn  up  along  the  square,  the  boulevards, 
a  gentleman  in  cloak  and  cap,  who  was  promenad- 
ing along  the  boulevard  and  staring  at  the  i^assers- 
by,  —  all  had  an  unpleasant  effect  upon  him. 

"  Who  knows  but  these  people  know  some  of 
my  acquaintances }  "  And  again  he  recalls  the 
club,  the  tailor,  the  cards,  gay  society.  .  .  . 

After  he  had  left  Stavropol  behind  him,  he 
began,  therefore,  to  feel  in  a  better  frame  of  mind  ; 
it  became  wild,  and,  what  was  better  than  all, 
picturesque  and  warlike.  And  Olyenin's  heart 
grew  lighter  and  lighter.  All  the  Cossacks,  the 
drivers,  the  station-keepers,  seemed  to  him  artless 
beings  with  whom  one  could  artlessly  jest  or  con- 
verse, without  any  thought  of  making  class  dis- 
tinctions. They  all  belonged  to  the  whole  human 
race,  which  Olyenin  loved  without  knowing  it,  and 
they  all  showed  a  friendly  disposition  toward  him. 

Even  before  they  passed  out  of  the  country  of 
the  Don  Cossacks,  the  sledge  was  exchanged  for  a 
wheeled  vehicle,  and  beyond  Stavropol  it  became 
so  warm  that  Olyenin  no  longer  wore  his  fur  coat. 

He  had  met  the  spring,  and  it  came  to  Olyenin 
like  a  joyful  surprise. 


THE   COSSACKS.  2/ 

At  night  they  were  cautioned  not  to  leave  the 
station-house,  and  it  began  to  be  remarked  toward 
evening  that  they  were  on  dangerous  ground. 
Vanyusha  began  to  be  a  little  alarmed ;  a  loaded 
musket  lay  ready  for  instant  use.  This  made 
Oly^nin  still  more  light-hearted.  At  one  station 
the  superintendent  related  a  terrible  story  of  a 
murder  that  had  recently  occurred  on  the  high- 
way. They  began  to  meet  with  men  carrying 
weapons. 

"  Now,  this  is  the  beginning,"  said  Oly^nin,  and 
he  began  to  long  for  a  view  of  the  snow-covered 
mountains  of  which  so  many  had  spoken  to  him. 

One  time,  toward  evening,  the  NogaY  driver 
pointed  with  his  whip  toward  the  mountains  ap- 
pearing above  the  clouds.  Olyenin  eagerly  began 
to  strain  his  sight,  but  it  was  growing  dark  and  the 
clouds  half  concealed  the  mountains.  It  seemed 
to  Olyenin  that  there  was  something  gray,  white, 
and  curly,  and  in  spite  of  all  his  endeavor  he 
could  not  distinguish  anything  beautiful  in  the 
aspect  of  the  mountains  of  which  he  had  read  and 
heard  so  much. 

It  seemed  to  him  that  the  mountains  and  the 
clouds  were  absolutely  alike,  and  that  the  peculiar 
beauty  of  the  snow-capped  mountains,  about  which 
he  had  been  told,  was  as  much  a  figment  of   the 


28  THE   COSSACKS. 

imagination  as  the  music  of  Bach,  or  love  for  a 
woman,  in  which  he  had  no  belief,  and  so  he 
ceased  to  have  any  longing  for  the  mountains. 

But  the  next  day,  early  in  the  morning,  he  was 
waked  up  by  the  coolness  in  his  post-carriage,  and 
looked  out  indifferently.  The  air  was  wonderfully 
clear. 

Suddenly  he  saw,  twenty  paces  distant  from 
him,  as  it  seemed  at  the  first  moment,  the  pure 
white  mountain  masses,  with  their  tender  curves, 
and  the  marvellous  perfect  aerial  outlines  of  the 
summits  against  the  far-off  sky. 

And  when  he  comprehended  all  the  distance  be- 
tween him  and  the  mountains  and  the  sky,  all 
the  majesty  of  the  mountains,  and  when  he  real- 
ized all  the  endlessness  of  that  beauty,  he  was 
alarmed  lest  it  were  an  illusion,  a.  dream.  He 
shook  himself  so  as  to  wake  up. 

But  the  mountains  were  still  there ! 

"What  is  that?  Tell  me  what  that  is!"  he 
asked  of  the  driver. 

*'  Oh  !  the  mountains  !  "  replied  the  Nogayets, 
indifferently. 

"  And  so  have  I  been  looking  at  them  for  a  long 
time !  aren't  they  splendid  !  They  won't  believe 
me  at  home !  "  said  Vanyusha. 

As  the  three-span  flew  swiftly  over  the  level 


THE   COSSACKS.  2Q 

road,  it  seemed  as  if  the  mountains  ran  along  the 
horizon,  shining  in  the  sunrise  with  their  rosy 
summits. 

At  first  the  mountains  roused  in  Olyenin's  mind 
only  a  sentiment  of  wonder,  then  of  delight ;  but 
afterward,  as  he  gazed  at  this  chain  of  snowy 
mountains,  not  piled  upon  other,  dark  mountains, 
but  growing  and  rising  straight  out  of  the  steppe, 
little  by  little  he  began  to  get  into  the  spirit  of 
their  beauty,  and  h^fell  the  mountains. 

From  that  moment  all  that  he  had  seen,  all  that 
he  had  thought,  all  that  he  had  felt,  assumed  for 
him  the  new,  sternly  majestic  character  of  the 
mountains.  All  his  recollections  of  Moscow,  his 
shame  and  his  repentance,  all  his  former  illusions 
about  the  Caucasus,  —  all  disappeared  and  never 
returned  again. 

"  Now  life  begins,"  seemed  to  be  sounded  into 
his  ear  by  some  solemn  voice.  And  the  road,  the 
distant  outline  of  the  Terek,  now  coming  into 
sight,  and  the  post-stations,  and  the  people, — all 
seemed  to  him  no  longer  insignificant. 

He  looks  at  the  sky  and  remembers  the  moun- 
tains, he  looks  at  himself,  at  Vanyusha,  and  again 
the  mountains  ! 

Here  two  Cossacks  appear  on  horseback,  their 
muskets  balanced  over  their  backs,  and  rythmically 


30 


THE   COSSACKS. 


swinging  as  their  horses  gallop  along  with  brown 
and  gray  legs  intermingling ;  but  the  moun- 
tains !  .  .  . 

Beyond  the  Terek,  smoke  seems  to  be  rising  from 
some  aul  or  native  village  ;  but  the  mountains! 

The  sun  stands  high  and  gleams  on  the  river 
winding  among  the  reeds  ;  but  the  mountains  !  .  .  . 

From  a  Cossack  station  comes  an  arba,  or  na-* 
tive  cart  —  pretty  women  are  riding  in  it,  young 
women  ;  but  the  mountains !  .  .  . 

Abreks'  gallop  across  the  steppe,  and  I  am 
coming,  I  fear  them  not,  I  have  weapons  and 
strength  and  youth ;  but  the  mountains !  .  .  . 

*  The  hostile  mountaineer  who  crosses  over  to  the  Russian  side 
of  the  Terelc  for  the  purpose  of  theft  or  rapine  is  called  abrek.  — 
Autkor^s  note. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

The  whole  line  of  the  Terek,  along  which,  for 
some  eighty  versts,  are  scattered  the  outposts  of 
the  Grebensky  Cossacks,  has  a  distinctive  charac- 
ter, not  only  by  reason  of  its  situation,  but  also  of 
population. 

The  river  Terek,  which  separates  the  Cossacks 
from  the  mountaineers,  flows  turbid  and  swift,  but 
still  in  a  broad  and  tranquil  current,  constantly 
depositing  gray  silt  on  the  low,  reed-grown  right 
bank,  and  undermining  the  steep  but  not  lofty 
left  bank,  with  its  tangled  roots  of  century-old 
oaks,  decaying  plane  trees,  and  underbrush. 

On  the  right  bank  lie  auls,  or  native  villages, 
subject  to  Russian  rule,  but  restless  ;  along  the 
left  bank,  half  a  verst  from  the  river,  and  seven 
or  eight  versts  apart,  stretch  the  Cossack  posts. 
In  former  times,  the  majority  of  these  villages 
were  on  the  very  edge  of  the  river,  but  the  Terek 
each  year,  sweeping  farther  away  from  the  moun- 
tains toward  the  north,  has  kept  undermining  them, 
and  now  there  remain  in  sight  only  the  old  ruins, 
gardens,  pear   trees,  poplars,   limes,  thickly   over- 

31 


32  THE   COSSACKS. 

grown,  and  twined  about  with  blackberries  and 
wild  grapevines.  No  one  any  longer  lives  there, 
and  the  only  signs  of  life  are  the  tracks  on  the 
sand,  made  by  deer,  wolves,  hares,  and  pheasants, 
which  haunt  such  places. 

A  road  runs  from  village  to  village,  cut  in  a  bee 
line,  through  the  forest.  Along  the  road  are 
the  military  stations  or  cordons,  guarded  by  Cos- 
sacks. Between  the  cordons  are  watch-towers 
with  sentinels.  Only  a  narrow  strip  of  fertile 
forest-land  —  say  seven  hundred  yards  wide  — 
constitutes  the    Cossacks'    domain. 

On  the  north  begin  the  sandy  dunes  of  the 
NogaY,  or  Mozdok  steppe,  stretching  far  away,  and 
commingling,  God  knows  where,  with  the  Trukh- 
mensky,  Astrakhan,  and  Kirgiz-KaTsak  steppes. 

On  the  south,  beyond  the  Terek,  is  the  Great 
Chechnya,  the  ridge  of  the  Kotchkalosof  range, 
the  Black  Mountains,  then  still  another  sierra,  and 
finally  the  snow-covered  mountains  which  rise  high 
in  the  air,  —  as  yet  untrodden  by  the  foot  of  man. 

On  the  fertile  strip  of  forest-land,  producing  all 
kinds  of  vegetables,  have  lived,  since  immemorial 
times,  a  warlike,  handsome,  and  wealthy  Russian 
population,  professing  the  "  old  faith,"  and  called 
the  Grebensky  or  Border  Cossacks. 

Very,  very  long  ago,  their  ancestors,  the  "  Old 


THE   COSSACKS.  33 

Believers,"  fled  from  Russia  and  settled  beyond 
the  Terek  among  the  Chechens  on  the  Ridge 
(Greben)  or  the  first  spur  of  the  wooded  range 
of  the  Great  Chechnya.  These  Cossacks  inter- 
married with  their  new  neighbors,  the  Chechens, 
and  adopted  the  habits,  mode  of  life,  and  man- 
ners of  the  mountaineers  ;  but  they  succeeded  in 
maintaining  even  there  the  Russian  language 
and  their  old  belief  in  their  pristine  purity.  A 
tradition,  still  preserved  among  them,  declares 
that  the  Tsar  Ivan  the  Terrible  came  to  the 
Terek,  invited  the  elders  of  the  Cossacks  from 
the  Ridge  to  meet  him,  gave  them  the  land  on 
that  side  of  the  river,  charged  them  to  live  in 
peace,  and  promised  not  to  demand  their  alle- 
giance nor  to  change  their  belief. 

Ever  since  that  time  the  Cossack  families  have 
kept  up  their  relations  with  the  mountaineers, 
and  the  chief  traits  of  their  character  are  love  of 
liberty,  laziness,  brigandage,  and  war.  The  influ- 
ence of  Russia  has  been  exerted  only  in  a  detri- 
mental way,  by  forced  conscriptions,  removal  of 
bells,  and  the  presence  of  troops  quartered  among 
them.  The  Cossack  is  inclined  to  have  less  detes- 
tation for  the  mountaineer  brave  who  has  killed 
his  brother  than  for  the  soldier  who  is  quartered 
on  him  for  the  sake  of  protecting  his  village,  but 


34 


THE   COSSACKS. 


who  scents  up  his  hut  with  tobacco  smoke.  He 
respects  his  mountain  enemy  ;  but  he  disdains  the 
soldier,  whom  he  regards  as  an  alien  oppressor. 

In  the  Cossacks'  eyes,  the  Russian  peasant  is  a 
nondescript  creature,  uncouth,  and  beneath  con- 
tempt, the  type  of  which  they  find  in  the  peri- 
patetic Little  Russian  pedlar  or  emigrant,  called 
by  the  Cossacks  Shapoval,  or  tile-wearer. 

The  height  of  style  among  them  is  to  dress  like 
the  Circassian.  He  procures  his  best  weapons 
from  the  mountaineers  ;  from  them  also  he  buys 
or  steals  his  best  horses.  The  young  Cossack 
brave  prides  himself  on  his  knowledge  of  the 
Tatar  language,  and,  when  he  is  on  a  drunken 
spree,  he  speaks  Tatar  even  with  his  brother. 

And  yet  this  petty  Christian  population,  barri- 
caded in  a  little  corner  of  the  world,  surrounded 
by  semi-civilized  Mahometan  tribes  and  by  sol- 
diers, regards  itself  as  having  attained  the  highest 
degree  of  culture,  looks  upon  the  Cossack  as 
alone  worthy  of  the  name  of  man,  affecting  to 
despise  everybody  else.  He  spends  the  most  of 
his  time  at  the  cordons,  in  expeditions,  hunting, 
and  fishing.  He  very  rarely  condescends  to  stay 
at  home.  His  presence  in  the  village  is  an  excep- 
tion to  the  rule  :  but  when  he  is  there  he  lounges. 
Wine   is  a   common    commodity   among    all    the 


THE   COSSACKS. 


35 


Cossacks,  and  drunkenness  is  not  so  much  a  uni- 
versal propensity  as  it  is  a  rite,  the  non-fulfilment 
of  which  would  be  regarded  as  apostasy. 

The  Cossack  looks  upon  a  woman  as  the  in- 
strument of  his  well-being.  As  long  as  she  is 
unmarried  she  is  allowed  to  make  merry,  but  once 
a  wife  she  must  put  aside  the  pleasures  of  youth 
and  work  even  till  the  end  of  her  days  to  add  to 
his  comfort ;  he  is  thoroughly  oriental  in  his 
demand  upon  her  obedience  and  toil. 

As  the  result  of  this  state  of  things,  the 
women,  though  to  all  appearances  in  subjection, 
become  powerfully  developed  both  physically  and 
morally,  and,  as  is  commonly  the  case  in  the 
East,  possess  incomparably  more  influence  and 
consequence  in  domestic  affairs  than  in  the  West. 
Their  seclusion  from  society,  and  their  habitua- 
tion to  hard  manual  labor  give  them  still  more 
authority  and  command  in  domestic  affairs.  The 
Cossack,  who,  in  the  presence  of  strangers,  regards 
it  as  unbecoming  to  talk  affectionately  or  gossip 
with  his  wife,  cannot  help  feeling  her  superiority 
when  he  is  left  alone  with  her.  His  whole  house, 
his  whole  estate,  his  whole  establishment,  have 
been  acquired  by  her,  and  are  maintained  solely 
by  her  labors  and  exertions.  And  though  he  is 
obstinately  convinced  th*at  toil  is  degrading  for  a 


36  THE   COSSACKS, 

Cossack,  and  is  the  proper  occupation  only  of  a 
Nogai'  laborer  or  a  woman,  yet  he  has  a  dim  con- 
sciousness that  everything  that  redounds  to  his 
comfort,  and  that  he  calls  his  own,  is  the  result  of 
this  toil,  and  that  it  is  in  the  power  of  his  mother 
or  his  wife,  even  though  he  looks  upon  her  as 
his  serf^  to  deprive  him  of  all  that  makes  his  life 
agreeable. 

Moreover,  the  constant  hard  field  labor,  and  the 
duties  intrusted  to  them,  give  a  peculiarly  inde- 
pendent, masculine  character  to  the  Greben 
women,  and  have  served  to  develop  in  them,  to  a 
remarkable  degree,  physical  powers,  healthy  minds, 
decision  and  stability  of  character.  The  women 
are  for  the  most  part  stronger  and  more  intelli- 
gent, better  developed,  and  handsomer  than  the 
men. 

The  beauty  of  the  women  among  the  Grebensky 
Cossacks  is  due  to  the  striking  union  in  them  of 
the  purest  type  of  the  Circassian  with  the  full  and 
powerful  build  of  the  northern  woman.  Their 
usual  dress  is  Circassian :  the  Tatar  shirt,  the 
beshmet  or  under-tunic,  and  the  footgear  called 
c/iHvydki,  but  they  wear  their  kerchiefs  in  the  Rus- 
sian way.  The  wearing  of  clean,  rich,  and  elegant 
attire,  and  the  decoration  of  the  cottages,  belong 
to  the  inseparable  conditions  of  their  existence. 


THE   COSSACKS.  37 

In  their  relations  to  the  men,  the  women,  and 
especially  the  girls,  enjoy  unlimited  freedom. 

The  Cossacks  subsist  largely  from  the  products 
of  their  vineyards  and  fruit  gardens,  their  melon 
and  gourd  patches,  their  fishing  and  hunting,  their 
fields  of  maize  and  millet,  and  from  the  spoils  of 
war.  The  village  of  Novo-Mlinsk  is  considered 
to  be  the  metropolis  of  the  Grebensky  Cossacks. 
Here  more  than  elsewhere  are  preserved  the 
manners  and  customs  of  the  old  Grebentsui,  and 
the  women  of  this  village  have  always  been  famous 
throughout  the  Caucasus  for  their  beauty. 

It  stands  about  three  versts  from  the  Terek, 
from  which  it  is  separated  by  dense  woods.  On 
one  side  of  the  principal  village  street  is  a  stream  ; 
on  the  other  are  green  vineyards  and  orchards,  be- 
yond which  can  be  seen  the  sand  dunes  of  the 
Nogar  steppe. 

The  village  is  surrounded  by  earthworks  and 
a  thorn  hedge.  At  each  end  of  the  street  there 
are  lofty  gates,  hung  between  high  posts  and  pro- 
tected by  a  narrow  reed-thatched  roof ;  near  each 
one  there  stands,  on  a  wooden  platform,  a  mon- 
strous cannon,  which  has  not  been  fired  for  a 
century  ;  it  is  the  relic  of  some  Cossack  victory. 

A  Cossack  in  uniform,  with  cap  and  gun,  is 
sometimes  found  and  sometimes  not  found  stand- 


38  THE   COSSACKS, 

ing  at  the  gates  on  sentinel  duty  ;  sometimes  he 
salutes  and  sometimes  he  forgets  to  salute  the 
officer  passing  by. 

Under    the    gate    roof,    on   a   white   board,    is 
painted,  in  black  letters  :  — 


266  houses. 
897  males. 
1012  females. 


The  Cossacks'  houses  are  all  raised  on  posts 
two  or  three  feet  from  the  ground,  are  neatly 
thatched  with  reeds,  and  have  high  ridgepoles. 
The  houses,  without  exception,  even  though  they 
are  not  new,  are  neat  and  well  cared  for,  and  with 
their  variegated  steep  gables  present  a  comforta- 
ble and  picturesque  appearance  as  they  stand  in 
ample  grounds  along  the  wide  streets  and  lanes. 

In  front  of  the  bright,  commodious  windows  of 
many  of  the  houses,  behind  the  fences,  grow  dark 
green  poplars,  delicate,  bright-leaved  acacias,  with 
their  fragrant  white  blossoms,  or  else  the  boldly 
flaunting  yellow  of  the  sunflower,  and  the  twining 
tendrils  of  the  peas  and  grapevines. 

On  the  wide  square  can  be  seen  two  or  three 
shops  with  gay-colored  wares,  seeds,  gourds,  and 
gingerbread ;  and  behind  a  high  fence,  through  a 


TJIE  COSSACKS.  39 

row  of  ancient  poplar,  stands,  looking  down  upon 
the  rest,  the  colonel's  house,  with  its  folding  win- 
dows. 

The  streets,  especially  in  summer,  during  work- 
ing hours,  are  generally  deserted ;  the  Cossacks 
are  away  on  duty,  the  young  men  at  the  cordons 
and  on  expeditions,  the  old  men  off  hunting  or 
fishing  or  helping  the  women  in  the  gardens  or 
orchards.  Only  the  entirely  decrepit,  the  chil- 
dren, and  the  sick  remain  at  home. 


CHAPTER  V. 

It  was  one  of  those  wonderful  evenings  such  as 
are  found  only  in  the  Caucasus.  The  sun  had 
sunk  behind  the  mountains,  but  it  was  still  light. 
The  twilight  glow  embraced  a  third  of  the  sky,  and 
against  its  brilliancy  stood  out  in  sharp  contrast 
the  dull  white  masses  of  the -mountains.  The 
atmosphere  was  rare,  calm,  and  full  of  distant 
sounds.  The  mountains  cast  their  long  shadows 
for  versts  across  the  steppe. 

Everywhere  it  is  deserted  —  on  the  steppe, 
across  the  river,  along  the  roads.  If  now  and 
then  horseback  riders  make  their  appearance  any- 
where, then  instantly  the  Cossacks  from  the  cor- 
dons and  the  Chechens  from  the  aul  alike  gaze  in 
wonder  and  curiosity  and  try  to  guess  who  such 
suspicious  people  may  be. 

At  the  first  approach  of  evening,  the  people,  in 
dread  of  each  other,  hasten  to  their  dwellings,  and 
only  wild  beasts  or  birds  of  prey,  having  no  fear 
of  men,  are  left  to  raven  freely  through  the 
wilderness. 

Even  before  the  sun  has  set,  the  Cossack 
40 


THE   COSSACKS.  4 1 

women,  who  have  been  making  wattles  in  the 
gardens,  are  on  their  way  home,  gayly  talking  as 
they  hasten  along  ;  and  the  gardens  soon  become 
deserted,  like  all  the  rest  of  the  region. 

But  the  streets  at  this  hour  of  the  day  become 
extremely  animated.  From  all  sides  the  populace 
move  toward  the  village  —  on  foot,  on  horseback, 
and  in  squeaking,  two-wheeled  arbas.  Maidens, 
with  their  skirts  tucked  up,  and  carrying  fagots, 
come  merrily  chattering  and  hasten  to  the  gates 
to  meet  the  cattle,  which  throng  in  from  the 
steppe,  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  dust  and  gnats. 
The  plump  cows  and  buffaloes  scatter  through  the 
streets,  and  the  Cossack  women,  in  their  bright- 
colored  beshmets,  circulate  among  them.  Their 
sharp  repartees,  their  merry  laughter  and  shrieks, 
are  heard,  mingled  with  the  lowing  of  the  cattle. 

Here  comes  a  mounted  Cossack,  armed,  on 
leave  of  absence  from  the  cordon  ;  he  rides  up  to 
a  hut,  and,  tapping  on  the  window,  leans  down  to 
it  ;  immediately  after  appears  the  pretty  young 
head  of  a  Cossack  maiden,  and  you  hear  the  mur- 
mur of  their  gay,  affectionate  banter. 

Yonder  a  ragged  Nogaf  laborer,  with  high 
cheek-bones,  is  bringing  reeds  from  the  steppe  ; 
he  drives  his  squeaking  arba  across  the  clean, 
wide  yard  and  takes  off  the  yoke  from  the  oxen, 


42 


THE   COSSACKS. 


which  shake  their  heads  ;  then  he  exchanges  some 
words  in  Tatar  with  his  master. 

In  one  place,  almost  the  whole  width  of  the 
street  is  occupied  by  a  great  puddle,  which,  year 
in  and  year  out,  obliges  people  to  go  out  of  their 
way  and  pass  it  by  laboriously,  clinging  to  the 
fences ;  along  the  edge  of  this  comes  a  bare-legged 
Cossack  woman,  with  a  bundle  of  fagots  on  her 
back ;  she  lifts  her  skirt  very  high  above  her 
white  ankles,  and  a  Cossack  huntsman,  riding  by, 
flings  his  merry  jest  at  her,  "  Hold  it  up  a  little 
higher,  hussy!"  and  aims  his  gun  at  her;  the 
young  woman  drops  her  skirt  in  her  confusion, 
and  off  tumbles  the  bundle  of  fagots. 

An  old  Cossack,  with  pantaloons  tucked  up  and 
his  gray  chest  bare,  on  his  way  home  from  his 
day's  fishing,  carries  over  his  shoulder  a  sanetkay 
or  mesh,  full  of  silvery  herring,  still  flapping  ;  in 
order  to  make  a  shorter  cut,  he  crawls  through 
his  neighbor's  broken  hedge,  and,  in  the  oper- 
ation, catches  his  coat  on  a  thorn  and  tears  it. 

Yonder  an  old  woman  drags  along  a  dry  branch, 
and  the  blows  of  an  axe  are  heard  echoing  around 
the  corner.  The  Cossack  children  shout  at  the 
top  of  their  voices,  as  they  whip  their  tops 
wherever  there  is  a  level  spot  on  the  street. 
Women  can  be  seen  climbing  through  the  fences, 


THE   COSSACKS. 


43 


so  as  to  save  extra  steps.  From  all  the  chimneys 
rises  the  pungent  smoke  from  burning  cow-dung. 
In  every  yard  is  seen  the  increased  bustle  that 
precedes  the  silence  of  the  night. 

Dame'  Ulitka,  the  wife  of  the  Cossack  ensign 
and  school-teacher,  comes  out  to  the  gate  of  her 
yard  and  stands  there  waiting  for  her  cattle,  which 
her  daughter  Marydnka  is  driving  down  the  street. 
She  has  barely  time  to  open  the  wicket  gate  when 
a  huge  cow  buffalo,  with  gnats  swarming  about 
her,  rushes  lowing  into  the  yard.  Behind  her 
saunter  the  fat  kine,  seeming  with  their  big  eyes 
to  acknowledge  the  dignity  of  their  mistress,  and 
switch  their  sides  lazily  with  their  tails. 

The  buxom  beauty,  Maryanka  approaches  the 
yard,  and,  throwing  down  her  stick,  closes  the 
gate,  and,  with  frolicsome  feet,  hastens  to  separate 
and  drive  the  cattle  to  their  stalls. 

"  You  devil's  own  girl,  you'll  spoil  your  chu- 
vyaki ;  take  them  off  instantly." 

Maryanka  is  not  in  the  least  affronted  by  being 
called  "  the  devil's  own  child,"  and  regards  these 
words  as  a  sort  of  subtile  flattery  ;  she  gayly 
goes  on  with  her  chores.  Her  face  is  enveloped 
in  a  twisted  kerchief;  she  wears  a  rose-colored 
shirt  and  a  green  beshmet.     She  disappears  under 

»  Bdbuka. 


44 


THE   COSSACKS. 


the  shed  where  the  fat  cattle  have  already 
hastened,  and  soon  her  voice  is  heard,  as  she 
caressingly  talks  with  the  cow  buffalo. 

"Won't  you  stand  still!  —  There,  there,  now  ! 
there,  old  lady  !  "  ^ 

Soon  after  the  young  girl  goes  with  her  mother 
from  the  stable  to  the  dairy,^  both  carrying  two 
brimming  crocks  of  milk,  the  product  of  the  even- 
ing's milking.  From  the  clay  chimney  of  the 
dairy  pours  the  dense  smoke ;  the  milk  is  quickly 
boiled  into  cream. 

While  the  young  girl  is  busy  with  the  fire,  the 
old  mother  goes  down  again  to  the  gate.  Twilight 
settles  down  over  the  village.  The  air  is  filled 
with  the  odor  of  vegetables,  of  cattle,  and  the  pun- 
gent smoke  of  the  dung. 

Everywhere  along  the  street  hasten  the  Cossack 
women  with  lighted  rags  in  their  hands.  In  the 
yards  can  be  heard  only  the  sound  of  the  cattle 
puffing  and  peacefully  chewing  the  cud,  and  the 
voices  of  women  and  children  ringing  through  the 
streets.  It  is  a  work  day,  and  it  is  a  rare  thing 
when  the  drunken  voice  of  a  man  is  heard. 

A  Cossack  woman,  old  and  tall  and  masculine, 

^  Mdtushka,  little  mother. 

^  Dairy,  literally  little  hut :  the  izbtishka,  among  the  Cossacks,  is 
a  low,  cool,  wooden  structure  where  the  milk  is  boiled  and  kept. — 
Author's  note. 


THE   COSSACKS,  45 

with  her  rag  torch  in  her  hand,  comes  across  the 
street  from  the  opposite  house,  and  asks  Dame 
Ulitka  for  a  light. 

"  Well,  mother,  got  your  work  done  up  ?  "  is  her 
first  question. 

"  The  girl  is  tending  the  fire.  Why,  d'ye  want 
a  light }  "  asks  Dame  Ulitka,  proud  of  being  able 
to  confer  a  favor. 

The  two  old  women  go  to  the  cottage  together ; 
Dame  Ulitka's  clumsy  hands,  not  used  to  handling 
delicate  objects,  tremble  as  she  takes  off  the  cover 
of  the  precious  match-box,  for  matches  are  a  rarity 
in  the  Caucasus.  The  visitor  sits  down  on  the 
step,  with  the  evident  intention  of  having  a  little 
gossip. 

"  Well,  Dame,  is  your  man  at  the  school }  "  she 
asks. 

**Yes,  he's  always  teaching  the  young  ones, 
mother.  He  writes  that  he'll  be  here  for  the  fes- 
tival," replies  Dame  Ulitka. 

"  There's  a  learned  man  for  you  !  There's  some 
good  in  that !  " 

"  Of  course  there  is  !  " 

"  And  my  Lukasha  is  at  the  outpost  ;  he 
can't  get  leave  of  absence."  Now,  the  visitor 
knows  that  this  is  no  news  to  Dame  Ulitka,  but 
still  she  can't  refrain  from  telling  her,  for  she  must 


46  THE   COSSACKS. 

say  something  about  her  Lukasha,  who  has  just 
been  enrolled  as  a  Cossack.  She  makes  no  secret 
of  her  wish  to  arrange  a  match  between  him  and 
the  cornet's  daughter,  Maryanka. 

''  Does  he  have  to  stay  at  the  outpost  ?  " 

*'  Indeed  he  does,  mother.  He  has  not  been 
home  since  Christmas.  The  other  day  I  sent  him 
some  shirts  by  Fomushkin.  He  brought  back 
word,  all  was  well  ;  the  officers  are  pleased  with 
the  lad.  They  expect  another  attack  of  the  abreks, 
they  say.     Lukashka,  says  he,  is  happy,  all  right." 

**  Well,  thank  the  Lord  for  that,"  says  the  cor- 
net's wife.     "  In  one  word,  he  is  the  Urvan  !  " 

Lukashka  had  gained  the  name  of  tu-vaii,  or  the 
seizer,  because  of  his  bravery  in  seizing  a  young 
Cossack  from  the  water  just  as  he  was  drowning, 
and  Dame  Ulitka  called  him  by  this  name,  so  as  to 
have  something  agreeable '  to  say  to  Lukashka's 
mother. 

"  I  bless  the  Lord  for  it  every  day  —  he  is  a  good 
son  ;  he  is  a  brave  lad  ;  they  all  like  him,"  says 
Lukashka's  mother.  "  Only  I  wish  he  were  mar- 
ried, then  I  could  die  contented." 

"  Well,  aren't  there  girls  enough  in  the  village  !  " 
demanded  the  shrewd  Dame  Ulitka,  awkwardly 
fumbling  with  her  crooked  fingers  in  her  attempt 
to  put  the  cover  on  the  match-box. 


THE   COSSACKS.  47 

"  Plenty  of  them,  mother,  plenty  of  them,"  says 
Lukashka's  mother,  and  shakes  her  head.  "  Your 
girl,  Marianushka,  there's  a  girl  for  you,  one  won't 
find  her  like  in  the  whole  region !  " 

Dame  Ulitka  saw  through  her  visitor's  insinua- 
tion, and,  though  she  approved  of  Lukashka,  and 
thought  him  a  promising  Cossack,  she  wanted  to 
turn  the  conversation,  —  in  the  first  place,  because 
she  was  the  ensign's  wife  and  was  'rich,  while 
Lukashka  —  well,  he  was  the  son  of  a  mere  Cos- 
sack, and  his  father  was  dead  ;  in  the  second  place, 
because  she  did  not  want  to  lose  her  daughter  too 
soon.  But  the  chief  reason  was  that  propriety 
demanded  such  a  course. 

"  Yes,"  says  she,  warily  and  discreetly,  "  Marya- 
nushka  is  growing  up  ;  by  and  by  we  shall  think 
of  getting  her  married." 

**  I  will  send  the  match-makers,  yes,  I  will  send 
them  ;  come,  let  us  arrange  about  the  gardens ; 
we  will  come  and  formally  ask  your  favor,"  says 
Lukashka's  mother.  "  We  will  go  and  pass  the 
compliments  to  Ilya  Vasily^vitch." 

**  What  has  Ilyas  to  do  with  it ! "  says  Dame 
Ulitka,  haughtily.  "  I  am  the  one  who  is  to  be 
spoken  to.  But  there  is  time  enough  for  all 
that." 

Lukashka's  mother  sees,  by  the  proud  look  on 


48  THE   COSSACKS. 

Dame  Ulitka's  face,  that  it  would  be  inexpedient 
to  say  anything  more,  lights  the  match  and  sets 
fire  to  her  rag  torch,  and,  as  she  rises  to  go,  she 
adds,  "  Don't  forget,  mother  ;  remember  what  I 
have  said.  I  am  going  now,  I  must  get  my  fire 
started." 

As  she  steps  down  toward  the  street  and  waves 
her  lighted  torch  in  her  outstretched  hand  she 
meets  Maryanka,  who  greets  her  with  a  cour- 
tesy. 

"She's  a  queenly  maiden,  a  regular  worker," 
she  says  to  herself,  as  she  looks  at  the  beauty. 
*'  How  much  more  has  she  got  to  grow,  I  should 
like  to  know  !  It's  high  time  for  her  to  be  married, 
yes,  and  in  a  nice  house  of  her  own,  and  Lukashka 
is  the  husband  for  her  !  " 

Dame  Ulitka  had  still  some  work  to  do,  but  her 
heart  was  heavy  within  her,  and  she  sat  on  the 
threshold  without  stirring  until  Maryanka  came 
to  call  her. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  men  of  the  village  spend  their  time  in  ex- 
peditions and  at  the  cordon  or  "  posts,"  as  the  Cos- 
sacks call  them. 

This  same  Lukashka  the  Urvan,  of  whom  the 
two  old  women  had  been  talking  at  the  cottage, 
was  standing  just  before  sunset  on  the  watch-tower 
of  the  Nizhni-Prototsky  "  post,"  which  is  situated 
on  the  very  bank  of  the  Terek.  As  he  leaned  on 
the  railing,  he  gazed  with  blinking  eyes,  now  far 
away  across  the  Terek,  then  down  on  his  comrades, 
the  Cossacks,  but  it  was  seldom  that  he  had  any- 
thing to  say  to  them. 

The  sun  was  already  nearing  the  snow-covered 
crest  of  the  mountains,  gleaming  white  from  un- 
derneath the  feathery  clouds,  which,  as  they  rolled 
down  into  the  ravines  at  their  feet,  took  on  darker 
and  darker  shadows. 

The  transparent  evening  air  seemed  to  open  out 
into  wider  vistas.  From  the  thick  wild  forest 
breathed  a  fresh  coolness,  but  at  the  post  it  was 
still   hot.      The  voices  of  the    Cossacks  as  they 

49 


50 


THE   COSSACKS, 


chatted  rang  clear  and  loud,  and  seemed  to  hover 
in  the  air.  The  swift  tawny  Terek,  swerving  di- 
rectly from  its  immovable  banks,  rolled  on  its  irre- 
sistible mass.  It  was  now  beginning  to  fall,  and 
here  and  there  the  damp  sand  showed  brown  and 
gray  along  the  banks  and  shallows.  The  shore 
directly  opposite  the  outpost  was  a  perfect  wil- 
derness ;  only  endless  stretches  of  low  desert 
reeds  lay  between  the  river  and  the  mountains. 
A  little  to  one  side  could  be  seen  on  the  low  bank 
the  clay-built  houses  of  a  Chechen  aul,  with 
their  flat  roofs  and  funnel-shaped  chimneys. 
From  the  height  of  his  watch-tower,  the  Cossack's 
keen  eyes  could  make  out  through  the  evening 
smoke  the  blue  and  red  dresses  of  the  women  as 
they  moved  about  in  the  distant  village. 

Although  the  Cossacks  were  expecting  that  at 
any  moment  the  hostile  abreks  would  cross  over 
from  the  other  shore  and  attack  them  ;  although 
it  was  the  month  of  May,  when  the  forests  along 
the  Terek  are  so  dense  that  it  is  extremely  diffi- 
cult for  a  person  to  force  his  way  through  them, 
and  the  river  is  so  low  that  it  can  be  waded  al- 
most anywhere  ;  and  although,  only  two  days  be- 
fore, a  Cossack  messenger  had  galloped  up  from 
the  colonel  with  a  circular  letter  to  all  the  posts, 
informing  them  that  spies  had  brought  word  that 


THE   COSSACKS.  5  I 

a  band  of  abreks,  divided  into  squads  of  eight, 
were  preparing  to  cross  the  Terek,  so  that  especial 
caution  was  demanded, — still  it  could  not  be  ob- 
served that  there  was  any  special  caution  taken  at 
the  "  posts  "  along  the  line. 

The  Cossacks  were  engaged  as  though  they 
were  safe  at  home,  one  in  fishing,  another  in  tip- 
pling, another  in  hunting ;  their  horses  were  not 
saddled,  their  arms  were  not  even  in  reach.  Only 
one  horse  was  saddled  and  allowed  to  browse  with 
its  feet  hobbled,  along  the  edge  of  the  forest ;  this 
precaution  was  taken  by  the  officer  of  the  day. 
And  only  the  sentinel  on  guard  was  in  uniform 
and  armed  with  musket  and  dagger.  The  ser- 
geant, a  tall,  haggard  Cossack,  with  an  extraordi- 
narily long  back  and  short  legs  and  arms,  in  an  un- 
buttoned beshmet,  was  sitting  on  the  bank  of  the 
hut,  his  eyes  closed  with  an  expression  of  sovereign 
laziness  and  tedium,  and  rolling  his  head  from 
one  hand  to  the  other. 

An  aged  Cossack,  with  a  wide,  grayish  black 
beard  and  dressed  in  nothing  but  a  shirt  belted 
with  a  black  leather  strap,  was  stretched  out  at 
the  edge  of  the  river  and  lazily  watching  the 
Terek  as  it  monotonously  rolled  by  its  turbid, 
swirling  waters. 

All   the  rest  were  overcome   by  the  heat  and 


52  I^^^E   COSSACKS. 

were  half  undressed ;  one  was  washing  his  shirt 
by  the  water's  edge,  another  plaiting  a  pair  of 
reins ;  a  third  was  purring  a  song,  as  he  lay 
stretched  out  on  the  hot  sand  along  the 
bank. 

One  of  the  Cossacks,  with  a  thin  face  burned 
black  by  the  sun,  was  apparently  dead-drunk 
and  lay  under  one  wall  of  the  hut ;  two  hours 
before  it  had  been  in  the  shadow,  but  was  now 
exposed  directly  to  the  oblique  rays  of  the  glar- 
ing sun. 

Lukashka,  who  was  standing  on  the  watch- 
tower,  was  a  tall,  handsome  youth,  twenty  years 
old,  the  very  picture  of  his  mother.  His  face  and 
his  whole  build,  in  spite  of  the  angularity  of 
youth,  expressed  the  greatest  strength  of  body 
and  of  will.  He  had  only  recently  been  enrolled, 
yet,  by  the  broad  lines  of  his  face  and  the  stead- 
fast assurance  of  his  attitude,  it  was  plain  to  see 
that  he  had  already  succeeded  in  acquiring  that 
martial  and  haughty  carriage  peculiar  to  Cossacks 
and  to  men  generally  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
being  constantly  armed,  that  he  was  a  Cossack 
and  regarded  himself  at  the  very  highest  valua- 
tion. His  wide  cherkeska  was  ragged,  his  cap  was 
set  on  awry,  in  the  fashion  of  the  mountaineers, 
his   leggings   loosely   twisted    below   the    knees. 


THE  COSSACKS.  53 

His  attire  was  not  rich,  but  it  fitted  him  with  that 
peculiar  Cossack  grace  which  arises  from  the  imi- 
tation of  the  Chechen  jigit  or  brave. 

The  genuine  jigit  has  a  fine  unconcern  for 
ragged  and  careless  dress  ;  but  he  is  careful  to 
have  His  weapons  of  the  richest  description.  But 
the  adjustment,  the  fit,  and  the  belting  of  his 
torn  and  ragged  clothes,  and  the  general  equip- 
ment, unite  to  give  a  distinguished  appearance, 
which  not  every  one  is  able  to  command,  and 
which  catches  the  eye  of  the  Cossack  or  moun- 
taineer. 

Lukashka  had  the  air  of  the;genuine  jigit  ;  with 
his  hand  resting  on  his  dagger,  and  blinking  his 
eyes,  he  kept  gazing  at  the  distant  aul.  Taken 
separately,  his  features  were  not  handsome  ;  but 
afterward,  as  you  saw  his  superb  physique,  his 
intelligent  face  with  its  dark  brows,  you  could  not 
help  exclaiming,  "  A  brave  lad  !  " 

"Why  are  all  the  women  pouring  out  of  yonder 
aul,  I  wonder } "  he  said,  in  a  clear  voice,  lazily 
separating  his  gleaming,  white  teeth,  and  not 
addressing  any  one  in  particular. 

Nazarka,  who  was  stretched  out  below,  instantly 
lifted  his  head  and  remarked  :  — 

"  They  are  probably  going  after  water." 

**  It  would  be  good  spprt  to  scare  them  with  a 


54  THE   COSSACKS. 

shot ! "  said  Lukashka,  laughing.  "  How  it  would 
make  them  scatter  !  " 

"You  couldn't  shoot  so  far." 

"  Nonsense  !  mine  would  shoot  clear  over  them ! 
You  just  wait  a  bit  !  when  their  festival  comes,  I 
am  going  to  visit  Girei'-khan,  and  drink  beer '  with 
him  !  "  exclaimed  Lukashka,  testily,  driving  away 
the  mosquitoes  that  insisted  on  paying  him  too 
close  attention. 

A  rustling  in  the  thicket  attracted  the  Cos- 
sacks' attention.  A  spotted  mongrel  setter,  with 
his  nose  to  the  ground,  and  wagging  his  hairless 
tail,  came  running  up  toward  the  post.  Lukashka 
recognized  the  dog  as  belonging  to  Uncle 
Yeroshka,  a  huntsman  of  his  neighborhood,  and 
shortly  after  he  caught  sight  of  the  man  himself, 
making  his  way  through  the  underbrush. 

Uncle  Yeroshka  was  a  colossal  Cossack  with 
a  wide,  silver-white  beard  and  tremendous,  broad 
shoulders  and  chest,  but  so  well  proportioned 
withal  that  in  the  woods,  where  there  was  no  one 
with  whom  to  compare  him,  he  did  not  seem  huge. 

He  wore  a  ragged,  half-buttoned  peasant  coat ; 
his   legs  were  wrapped  up  in  buckskin  porshniy^ 

^  Buza,  an  appropriately  named  Tatar  beverage,  made  of  millet. 
^  Forshni,  leggings  made  of  undressed  leather,  that  must  be 
well  soaked  before  they  can  be  put  on.  —  Author^ s  note. 


THE   COSSACKS,  55 

tied  with  twine ;  also  a  rumpled  white  lambskin  cap. 
Across  one  shoulder  he  carried  a  decoy  for  pheas- 
ants and  a  bag  with  a  chicken  for  alluring  hawks  ; 
over  his  other  shoulder  a  wild-cat  that  he  had 
killed  was  slung  by  a  cord ;  at  the  back  of  his 
belt  were  fastened  a  pouch  with  bullets,  powder, 
and  bread,  a  horsetail  to  flap  away  the  gnats,  a 
great  dagger  in  a  battered,  blood-stained  sheath, 
and  a  pair  of  pheasants. 

When  he  saw  the  "  post,"  he  paused. 

**  Hey,  Lyam  !  "  he  shouted  to  the  dog,  in  such 
an  exuberant  voice  that  the  woods  far  and  near 
echoed  with  the  sound.  Then,  shifting  over  his 
shoulder  his  clumsy  percussion  musket,  called 
flinta  by  the  Cossacks,  he  lifted  up  his  cap. 

"  Here's  to  your  health,  good  friends  !  Hey  !  '* 
he  shouted,  addressing  the  Cossacks  in  his  jovial, 
powerful  voice,  which,  without  any  effort,  sounded 
as  loud  as  though  he  were  trying  to  talk  with 
some  one  across  the  river. 

**  How  are  you,  uncle  }  How  are  you  t "  cheer- 
ily sounded  the  voices  of  the  Cossacks,  from  all 
sides. 

,**  What  is  the  good  word  t  Tell  us  the  news  } " 
shouted  Uncle  Y^roshka,  wiping  the  sweat  from 
his  broad,  red  face  with  the  sleeve  of  his 
cherkeska. 


56  THE   COSSACKS. 

"See  here,  uncle!  You  don't  know  what  a 
hawk  lives  up  in  yonder  plane  tree  !  As  soon  as 
evening  comes,  then  he  swoops  down  ! "  said 
Nazarka,  with  a  wink,  and  a  twitch  of  his  leg  and 
shoulder. 

"  What's  that  you  say  ! "  exclaimed  the  old  man, 
incredulously. 

"  It's  a  fact,  uncle  !  you  just  sit  up  and  watch 
for  him  ! "  insisted  Nazarka,  with  a  laugh,  in  which 
the  other  Cossacks  joined. 

The  jester  had  not  seen  any  hawk,  but  it  had 
long  been  the  habit  of  the  young  Cossacks  of  the 
cordon  to  banter  Uncle  Yeroshka  and  play  tricks 
on  him  every  time  that  he  came  to  see  them. 

"  Oh,  you  fool !  what  do  you  want  to  tell  such 
a  lie  for  t  "  shouted  Lukashka,  from  the  watch- 
tower,  to  Nazarka. 

Nazarka  instantly  relapsed  into  silence. 

**  If  there's  anything  to  be  got  by  watching, 
why,  then,  I'll  watch,"  rejoined  the  old  man,  to 
the  great  satisfaction  of  all  the  Cossacks.  "  But 
have  you  seen  any  wild-boars  .'*" 

"What  does  that  amount  to  —  looking  after 
wild-boars !  "  exclaimed  the  sergeant,  very  well 
content  at  the  opportunity  of  having  a  little  diver- 
sion. He  turned  over  and  scratched  his  long 
back  with  both  hands.     "Here  we   have   abreks 


THE   COSSACKS.  57 

to  catch,  and  not  such  small  game  as  wild-boars  ! 
You  haven't  heard  the  news,  hey,  have  you, 
uncle  ? "  he  went  on  to  say,  for  some  reason  or 
other  blinking  his  eyes  and  showing  a  solid  set 
of  white  teeth. 

"  Abreks,  indeed  ? "  replied  the  old  man. 
"Nay,  I  hadn't  heard  anything  about  them. 
But,  say,  have  you  got  any  red  wine  }  Give  us  a 
drink,  my  dear  boy  !  I'm  fagged  out ;  that's  a 
fact.  Let  me  have  a  little  time  and  I'll  bring  you 
some  fresh  pork  ;  I  promise  you  I  will  !  Come, 
let  me  have  some.'* 

'*  So  you  want  to  watch  for  game  here,  do 
you  ? "  pursued  the  sergeant,  as  though  he  had 
not  heard  the  other's   request. 

"I  should  like  to  watch  for  one  night,"  replied 
Uncle  Y^roshka.  "  Maybe  I  might  shoot  some- 
thing for  the  festival ;  whatever  I  get,  I'll  give  it 
to  you.     Fact !  " 

"  Uncle,  say,  uncle  !  "  shouted  Luka,  from  the 
watch-tower.  All  the  Cossacks  looked  to  see 
what  he  wanted.  "  Go  to  the  upper  brook  ;  there 
you'll  find  a  great  drove.  I  am  not  guying. 
Fact !  The  other  day  one  of  our  Cossacks  shot 
one.  I  am  telling  you  the  honest  truth,"  he 
added,  setting  his  carbine  behind  him.  His  tone 
made  it  evident  that  he  was  not  jesting. 


58 


THE   COSSACKS. 


"  Ah,  SO  Lukashka  urvan  is  here  ? "  said  the  old 
man,  looking  up.     "  Where  did  he  shoot  him  ? " 

"  And  so  it  seems  you  did  not  see  me,  I  am  so 
small !  —  Right  by  the  run,  uncle,"  he  continued, 
earnestly,  shaking  his  head.  "We  were  going 
along  by  the  run,  when  we  heard  a  crackling  in 
the  bushes,  but  my  gun  was  in  its  case.  Then 
Ilyaska  let  fly.  .  .  .  Yes,  and  I  will  show  you  the 
place,  uncle.  It  isn't  very  far  off.  Just  wait  a 
spell  !  I  tell  you,  brother,  I  know  all  their  ways. 
Uncle  Mosyef,"  he  added,  in  a  resolute  and  almost 
imperative  tone,  addressing  the  sergeant,  "it's 
time  to  relieve  the  guard,"  and,  picking  up  his 
gun,  without  awaiting  the  word  of  command,  he 
started  to  come  down  from  the  tower. 

"  Come  down,"  said  the  sergeant,  although  his 
command  came  too  late.  "  It's  your  turn,-isn't  it, 
Gurka } "  he  asked,  looking  around.  "  Go  on, 
then."  Then,  turning  to  the  old  huntsman,  "  Your 
Lukashka  has  become  an  expert.  He  is  going  to 
follow  in  your  footsteps  ;  you  can't  keep  him  at 
home  ;  the  other  day  he  killed  one  !  " 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  sun  had  now  set,  and  the  shades  of  night 
were  swiftly  sweeping  over  from  the  forest. 

The  Cossacks  had  finished  their  duties  about 
the  post  and  were  collecting  for  supper.  Only 
the  old  man,  still  in  expectation  of  the  hawk,  sat 
under  the  tree,  twitching  the  falcon  attached  to  his 
foot.  The  hawk  remained  in  the  tree,  and  was 
not  tempted  down  to  the  chicken. 

Lukashka  was  taking  his  time  in  setting  snares 
for  pheasants  in  the  bramble  thicket,  where  the 
birds  were  wont  to  run,  and  singing  song  after 
song.  In  spite  of  his  tall  form  and  his  big  hands, 
it  was  plain  to  see  that  any  sort  of  work,  coarse 
or  fine,  prospered  if  he  undertook  it. 

"  He  !  Luka !  the  Cossacks  have  gone  in  to  sup- 
per !  "  rang  Nazarka's  shrill  voice  from  the  thicket, 
a  few  steps  away.  It  was  Nazarka  who  with  a 
live  pheasant  under  his  arm  struggled  out  from 
amid  the  brambles  and  stood  on  the  footpath. 

"  Oh ! "  cried  Lukashka,  ceasing  his  song, 
"  where  did  you  find  the  bird  ^  It  must  have 
been  in  one  of  my  snares." 

59 


6o  ^^^   COSSACKS. 

"  I  don't  know  whose  it  was.  I  guess  it  was 
yours." 

"  Behind  the  well,  near  the  chinar  tree  ?  Cer- 
tainly it  was  mine !     I  set  it  yesterday  evening." 

Nazarka  was  of  the  same  age  as  Lukashka,  and 
had  also  been  enrolled  in  the  company  that  same 
spring.  He  was  a  little,  ugly,  lean,  puny  man, 
with  a  squeaking  voice,  which  made  one's  ears 
ring.     He  was  Luka's  neighbor  and  chum. 

Lukashka  was  sitting  Tatar  fashion  on  the  grass 
and  arranging  his  snare.  He  got  up  and  looked  at 
the  captured  pheasant.  Smoothing  with  his  hand 
the  dark  blue  head,  which  the  bird  stretched  out 
in  terror,  rolling  its  eyes,  he  took  it  into  his  hand. 

"  This  time  we'll  have  it  made  into  pilaf ;  you 
kill  it  and  pluck  it." 

"  Say,  shall  we  eat  it  ourselves,  or  give  it  to  the 
sergeant  ? " 

"There'll  be  enough  for  him,  too." 

"  I  don't  like  to  kill  it,"  said  Nazarka. 

"Give  it  to  me." 

Lukashka  drew  out  the  knife  from  under  his 
dagger  and  quickly  cut  the  bird's  throat.  The 
bird  fluttered,  but  before  it  had  time  to  spread 
its  wings  the  bleeding  head  lay  lifeless  on  the 
ground. 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it!"  exclaimed  Lukash- 


THE   COSSACKS.  6 1 

ka,  flinging  down  the  bird.  **  It  will  make  a  fat 
pilaf." 

Nazarka  shuddered  as  he  looked  at  it. 

"  Listen,  Luka,  that  devil  is  going  to  send  us 
out  into  ambush  again,"  he  remarked,  as  he  picked 
up  the  pheasant.  And  by  the  term  "  that  devil  " 
he  meant  the  sergeant.  "  He  has  sent  Fomush- 
kin  after  red  wine.  It  was  his  turn.  We  shall 
have  to  go  every  night.     He  always  picks  us  out." 

Lukashka  began  to  whistle  and  walked  toward 
the  post. 

"  Bring  along  the  twine,"  he  called  back. 

Nazarka  did  as  he  was  told. 

"  I  am  going  to  tell  him,  I  am  going  to  fling  the 
truth  in  his  face,"  continued  Nazarka.  "  Let  us 
tell  him  that  we  won't  go  ;  that  we  are  tired  out, 
and  that's  the  end  of  it !  You  tell  him  ;  it's  a 
fact :  he'll  listen  to  you.  If  you  don't,  what  will 
become  of  us  ?  " 

**  Now,  what  has  he  found  to  growl  about  ! "  ex- 
claimed Lukashka,  who  was  evidently  thinking  of 
something  else.  "  What  rubbish  !  if  we  were 
at  the  village  and  he  sent  us  off  for  the  night, 
that  would  be  hard  luck !  There  we  should  be 
having  a  good  time,  but  here  what  difference  does 
it  make  whether  we  are  at  the  post  or  in  ambush  ? 
It's  all  one  !     What  a  lad  you  are  !  " 


62  THE   COSSACKS. 

"  And  are  you  going  to  the  village  ? " 

**  I  am  going  for  the  festival." 

"  Gurka  declares  that  your  Duna'fka  has  taken 
up  with  Fomushkin,"  said  Nazarka,  with  a  sudden 
burst  of  frankness. 

"  Let  her  go  to  the  devil ! "  snarled  Lukashka, 
displaying  his  solid  white  teeth,  but  not  smiling. 
**  Don't  you  suppose  I  can  find  another  one  ? " 

**  Well,  this  is  what  Gurka  tells.  He  went  to  her 
house,  says  he,  and  her  husband  was  away.  Fo- 
rnushkin  was  sitting  there,  eating  pirogi.  He  sat 
for  a  while  and  then  took  his  leave ;  but  he 
stopped  and  listened  under  the  window,  and  heard 
her  say,  *  Has  that  devil  gone  t  Why,  my  dear, 
don't  you  eat  another  little  pirog .? '  And  then 
said  she,  *  Don't  go  home  to  sleep.'  And  Gurka, 
under  the  window,  said,  '  Bravo  ! '  " 

** You  lie!" 

"  It's  a  fact,  by  God  ! " 

Lukashka  made  no  reply.  After  a  little,  he 
said,  "  Well,  if  she  has  found  another  lover,  the 
devil  take  her  !  There  are  plenty  of  girls,  aren't 
there  }     Any  way,  I  was  getting  tired  of  her." 

"  What  a  devil  of  a  fellow  you  are ! "  said 
Nazarka.  "  You'd  like  to  get  in  with  the  cornet's 
Maryanka !  She  isn't  going  about  with  any  one 
yet,  is  she? " 


THE   COSSACKS.  63 

Lukashka  frowned.  *'  What's  Maryanka  ?  It's 
all  the  same  to  me." 

"  Well,  now,  you'd  better  try  it  .  .  ." 

"  You  think  so,  do  you  ?  Aren't  there  enough 
of  them  in  the  village  ?  " 

And  Lukashka  again  began  to  whistle,  and  went 
to  the  "post,"  pulling  the  leaves  from  the  twigs. 
As  he  passed  by  one  bush  he  suddenly  stopped 
short,  drew  out  his  knife  and  cut  off  a  smooth 
stick  that  had  caught  his  eye.  "  There,  that  will 
make  a  good  ramrod,"  said  he,  making  the  stick 
whistle  through  the  air. 

The  Cossacks  were  at  supper  in  the  plastered 
entry  of  the  hut,  sitting  on  the  earth  floor,  around 
a  low  Tatar  table,  and  talking  about  whose  turn 
it  was  to  go  into  the  ambush.  "  Who  is  going  to- 
night t "  shouted  one  of  the  Cossacks,  addressing 
the  sergeant,  who  was  at  the  opened  door  of  the  hut. 

"  Let's  see  !  whose  turn  is  it  to  go  }  "  mused  the 
sergeant.  "  Uncle  Burlak  is  off,  Fomushkin  is 
off,"  he  said,  with  some  little  hesitation.  "  Now, 
who  among  you  will  go.-*  You  and  Nazar  go," 
said  he,  addressing  Luka.  ..."  And  let  Yer- 
gushof  go  too ;  he  will  probably  be  awake  by  that 
time." 

"  You  yourself  wouldn't,  if  you  were  in  his 
case ! "  said  Nazarka,  in  an  undertone. 


64 


THE   COSSACKS. 


The  Cossacks  laughed. 

Yergushof  was  the  same  Cossack  who  had  been 
lying  under  the  wall  of  the  hut,  in  a  drunken 
sleep.  Just  at  that  moment  he  made  his  appear- 
ance in  the  entry,  rubbing  his  eyes. 

Lukashka  now  got  up  and  began  to  put  his  gun 
in  order. 

"  And  start  as  soon  as  you  can ;  start  right 
after  supper ! "  said  the  sergeant,  and,  without 
waiting  for  any  expression  of  opinion,  he  shut  the 
door,  having,  evidently,  little  faith  in  the  obedi- 
ence of  the  Cossacks.  "  If  it  had  not  been 
especially  ordered,  I  would  not  have  sent  them  ; 
but,  then,  you  see,  the  captain  may  be  here  any 
minute,  and,  besides,  they  say  that  eight  abreks 
are  trying  to  cross  the  river,"  he  muttered  to  him- 
self. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  we  must  go,"  says  Yergushof. 
"  It's  the  order  !  You  must  obey  the  authorities 
in  such  times.     I  say  we  must  go." 

Lukashka,  in  the  meantime,  holding  a  great 
chunk  of  pheasant  before  his  mouth,  in  both 
hands,  and  glancing,  now  at  the  sergeant,  now  at 
Nazarka,  seemed  to  be  perfectly  indifferent  to 
what  was  going  on,  and  laughed  at  both. 

Before  the  Cossacks  had  as  yet  started  for  their 
ambush,    Uncle    Yeroshka,  who,    since    nightfall, 


THE   COSSACKS.  65 

Had  been  vainly  sitting  under  the  plane  tree,  came 
into  the  dimly  lighted  entry. 

"  Well,  boys,"  he  said,  in  his  deep  voice,  which 
rang  through  the  low  room,  drowning  the  other 
voices,  "  I  am  going  to  join  you.  You  may  watch 
for  Chechens,  but  I  am  going  to  watch  for  pigs  !" 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

It  was  already  perfectly  dark  when  Uncle 
Yeroshka  and  the  three  Cossacks,  in .  felt  cloaks 
and  with  their  muskets  over  their  shoulders,  went 
down  along  the  Terek  to  the  place  selected  for 
the  ambuscade. 

Nazarka  was  very  loath  to  go,  but  Luka  called 
to  him  and  they  quickly  got  under  way.  After 
they  had  gone  a  few  steps  in  silence,  the  Cossacks 
turned  aside  from  the  ditch  and  went  down  to  the 
Terek  by  a  scarcely  noticeable  footpath  among  the 
reeds.  On  the  bank  lay  a  big,  black  log  that  had 
been  left  by  the  falling  waters,  and  the  reeds 
around  it  were  freshly  pressed  down. 

"  Well,  shall  we  watch  here  ?  "  asked  Nazarka. 

"Why  shouldn't  we.-*"  replied  Lukashka.  "You 
wait  here ;  I'll  be  right  back,  but  I  want  to  show 
uncle  the  way." 

"  This  is  the  best  place  there  is  ;  no  one  can 
see  us,  but  we  get  a  good  outlook,"  said  Yer- 
gushof.     "  So  we'll  stay  here ;  we  hit  first  time." 

Nazarka  and  Yergushof  spread  down  their  felt 
cloaks  and  made  themselves  comfortable  behind 

66 


THE   COSSACKS.  67 

the  log,  while  Lukashka  went  on  with  Uncle 
Yeroshka. 

"  Not  very  far  from  here,  uncle,"  said  he, 
noiselessly  walking  on  in  advance  of  the  old  man. 
"  I  will  show  you  where  they  went.  I  am  the 
only  one  who  knows  the  place,  brother  ! " 

"  Show  it  to  me  ;  you  are  a  fine  young  fellow, 
Urvan,"  replied  the  old  man,  also  in  a  whisper. 

After  they  had  gone  a  few  steps,  Lukashka 
halted,  bent  over  to  a  pool,  and  whistled. 

"  Here  is  where  they  came  to  drink  ;  do  you 
see  ?  "  said  he,  almost  inaudibly,  pointing  to  fresh 
tracks. 

"  Christ  save  you ! "  replied  the  old  man.  "  The 
old  boar  has  been  scratching  himself  in  this 
hole  !  "  he  continued.  "  You  go  back  ;  I'll  watch 
here." 

Lukashka  pulled  up  his  felt  burka  and  walked 
back  alone  along  the  bank,  quickly  glancing, 
now  at  the  left  at  the  wall  of  reeds,  now  at  the 
Terek  rolling  by  under  the  bank. 

"  Who  knows  }  Perhaps  he  too  is  watching  or 
slinking  about  somewhere  near  !  "  said  Lukashka 
to  himself,  meaning  by  "  he  "  the  Circassian. 

Suddenly  a  tremendous  rushing  and  splashing 
in  the  river  startled  him  and  made  him  grasp  his 
carbine.     From    the    shore   dashed   a   wild-boar, 


68  THE   COSSACKS. 

panting,  and  the  black  form,  for  an  instant  parting 
the  gleaming  surface  of  the  water,  disappeared 
among  the  reeds.  Luka  quickly  cocked  his  mus- 
ket and  aimed  it,  but,  before  he  had  time  to  shoot, 
the  boar  was  out  of  range  in  the  thicket.  Spit- 
ting angrily,  he  continued  his  way.  When  he 
reached  the  place  of  ambuscade,  he  again  halted 
and  lightly  whistled.  The  signal  was  returned, 
and  he  joined  his  comrades. 

Nazarka,  comfortably  wrapped  up,  was  already 
asleep.  Yergushof  was  sitting  up,  with  his  legs 
curled  under  him,  and  he  hitched  along  a  little  so 
as  to  make  room  for  Lukashka. 

*'  It's  jolly  to  sit  here  !  Fact,  this  is  a  fine 
place  !  "  said  he.     "  Did  you  show  him  the  way  1 " 

"  I  found  it  for  him,"  replied  Lukashka,  spread- 
ing out  his  burka.  "  But  I  just  started  up  such  a 
healthy  boar  from  out  of  the  river  !  It  must  have 
been  the  very  same.  Of  course,  you  heard  what 
a  crashing  he  made." 

"  Yes,  I  heard  the  crashing  of  some  wild  beast, 
and  I  knew  in  a  minute  that  it  was  a  wild  beast. 
And  so  I  said  to  myself,  *  Lukashka  has  been 
scaring  him,'  "  said  Yergushof,  wrapping  himself 
up  in  his  burka.  "  I'll  get  a  little  sleep  now,"  he 
continued.  *'Wake  me  up  after  cock-crowing, 
because  we  must  have  some  system.     I  will  sleep, 


THE  COSSACKS. 


69 


and  then  afterwards  you  may  sleep  and  I  will 
stand  guard.     That's  the  way  we'll  do  it." 

"Thank  you,  I  don't  care  to  sleep,"  replied 
Lukashka. 

The  night  was  dark,  warm,  and  calm.  Only  in 
one  quarter  of  the-  sky  the  stars  were  shining  ; 
the  larger  part  was  covered  with  one  vast  cloud 
that  rested  on  the  mountains.  This  black  cloud, 
coalescing  with  the  mountains,  slowly  moved  far- 
ther and  farther  away,  though  there  was  no  wind, 
and  its  curving  edge  was  sharply  outlined  against 
the  deep,  starry  sky. 

In  front  of  the  Cossack  only  the  Terek  and  the 
dim  distance  were  to  be  seen  ;  behind  him  and  on 
both  sides  was  the  circular  wall  of  the  reeds. 
Occasionally  these  reeds,  apparently  without 
cause,  would  begin  to  bend  and  rustle  against 
each  other.  Seen  from  below,  the  waving  rushes 
seemed  like  downy  branches  of  trees  against  the 
unclouded  portion  of  the  sky. 

In  front  of  him,  at  his  very  feet,  was  the  bank 
under  which  the  current  was  sweeping.  Farther 
away  the  gleaming,  rushing  mass  of  cinnamon- 
colored  water  monotonously  rippled  along  the 
sand  banks  and  bars.  Still  farther,  the  same 
masses  of  water  and  banks  and  the  cloud,  all  con- 
fused in  indistinguishable  darkness. 


70 


THE   COSSACKS, 


Over"  the  surface  of  the  water  stretched  black 
shadows,  which  the  Cossack's  experienced  eyes 
made  out  to  be  logs  floating  down  the  stream. 
Once  in  a  while  the  lightning,  reflected  in  the 
water  as  in  a  black  mirror,  flashed  forth  the  out- 
line of  the  shelving  shore  on  the  other  side. 

The  various  sounds  of  the  night,  the  murmur- 
ing of  the  reeds,  the  snoring  of  the  Cossacks,  the 
humming  of  mosquitoes,  and  the  rippling  of  the 
stream,  were  now  and  again  interrupted  by  some 
far  distant  musket-shot,  tt\e  caving-in  of  the  bank, 
undermined  by  the  water,  now  by  the  leaping  of  a 
big  fish,  now  by  the  crashing  of  some  wild  beast 
in  the  thick,  wild  forest. 

Once  an  owl  flew  down  the  Terek,  regularly 
between  each  two  strokes  of  its  wings  flapping 
them  together.  Straight  over  the  Cossacks'  heads 
it  turned  toward  the  forest,  and,  circling  round  a 
tree,  flapped  its  wings  together  more  quickly  and 
then  for  a  long  time  scrambled  about  trying  to 
get  foothold  on  the  old  chinar. 

At  every  such  unwonted  sound,  the  watchful 
Cossack  listened  with  all  his  ears,  strained  his 
sight,  and  impatiently  fingered  his  carbine. 

The  larger  part  of  the  night  had  passed.  The 
black  cloud,  which  had  passed  off  toward  the  west, 
now  disclosed  above  its  broken  edges  the  clear 


THE  COSSACKS.  7 1 

starry  sky,  and  above  the  mountains  brightly 
gleamed  the  canted  horns  of  the  golden  moon. 

It  began  to  feel  cool. 

Nazarka  woke  up,  muttered  a  few  words,  and 
went  to  sleep  again.  Lukashka,  finding  it  dull, 
got  up,  drew  his  knife  from  under  his  dagger, 
and  began  to  whittle  his  stick  into  a  ramrod. 
His  mind  was  filled  with  thoughts  of  how  the  Che- 
chens lived  in  the  mountains ;  how  their  braves 
might  cross  to  this  side,  how  fearless  of  the  Cos- 
sacks they  were,  and  how  it  was  possible  that  they 
would  cross  in  some  other  place. 

And  he  stretched  himself  and  scanned  the 
river,  but  nothing  was  to  be  seen.  Afterwards 
paying  less  heed  to  the  river  and  the  distant  bank, 
indistinctly  rising  above  the  water  in  the  faint 
light  of  the  moon,  he  ceased  to  think  about  the 
Chechens,  and  merely  began  to  long  for  the  hour 
to  wake  his  comrades,  and  the  day  when  he  could 
visit  the  village.  The  thought  of  the  village 
called  up  to  mind  Dunka,  his  duskenka,  darling,  as 
the  Cossacks  call  their  mistresses,  and  his  thought 
of  her  was  mingled  with  bitterness. 

There  were  now  indications  that  morning  was 
near  :  silvery  mist  began  to  rise  over  the  river,  and 
young  eagles  screamed  and  flapped  their  wings 
near  him.     At  last  the  call  of  the  first  cock  was 


72  THE   COSSACKS. 

heard  in  the  distant  village,  followed  by  a  second, 
long  and  loud,  and  then  answered  by  others  in  all 
directions. 

"It's  time  to  wake  them,"  thought  Lukashka, 
who  had  now  finished  his  ramrod  and  felt  a  con- 
sciousness that  his  eyes  were  heavy.  He  turned 
to  his  comrades  and  was  trying  to  make  out  which 
pair  of  legs  belonged  to  which ;  but  suddenly  it 
seemed  to  him  that  something  splashed  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Terek,  and  once  more  he  scanned 
the  brightening  horizon  of  the  mountains,  over 
which  still  hung  the  horned  crescent  of  the  moon ; 
he  saw  the  outline  of  the  bank,  and  the  river,  and 
the  pieces  of  driftwood  now  clearly  distinguishable 
as  they  floated  down.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he 
was  moving,  while  the  Terek  and  the  logs  were 
stationary ;  but  this  illusion  lasted  only  an  instant. 

Once  more  he  began  to  gaze  attentively. 

One  great  black  log,  with  a  projecting  limb, 
especially  attracted  his  attention.  Strangely 
enough,  this  log  swam  along  the  stream  without 
rolling  or  swerving.  It  even  seemed  to  him  that 
it  was  not  floating  with  the  current,  but  was  cross- 
ing the  Terek  along  the  shallows. 

Lukashka  craned  his  neck  and  followed  its  mo- 
tions eagerly.  The  log  ran  aground  on  a  sand- 
bank, stopped,  and  then  moved  in  a  peculiar  way. 


THE   COSSACKS.  73 

Lukashka  became  convinced  that  he  saw  an  arm 
behind  the  log. 

"  Here's  a  chance  for  me  to  shoot  an  abrek  on 
my  own  account ! "  he  said  to  himself,  grasping 
his  musket  and  securely  but  hastily  setting  up  a 
support  and  resting  the  barrel  upon  it.  He  noise- 
lessly raised  the  hammer,  and,  holding  his  breath, 
began  to  take  aim  at  the  log. 

"  I  won't  wake  them,"  he  thought ;  but  his 
heart  throbbed  so  violently  in  his  breast  that  he 
stopped  and  listened.  The  log  suddenly  rolled 
over,  and  again,  causing  a  wake  through  the  water, 
made  its  way  toward  our  shore. 

"Only  that  it  don't  miss  !  "  was  his  thought,  and 
lo !  there  in  the  pale  light  of  the  moon  gleamed 
the  head  of  a  Tatar  at  the  front  end  of  the  log. 
He  aimed  his  musket  straight  at  the  head.  It 
seemed  to  him  very  near,  right  at  the  muzzle ! 
He  glanced  along  the  barrel.  *'  Yes,  it  is  indeed 
an  abrek,"  was  his  joyful  thought,  and,  suddenly- 
dropping  heavily  on  one  knee,  he  again  adjusted 
his  musket  and  aimed  at  the  foe,  who  was,  appar- 
ently, almost  within  reach  of  his  long  barrel ;  then, 
in  accordance  with  the  Cossack  usage,  to  which  he 
had  been  accustomed  since  childhood,  murmuring, 
"  To  the  Father  and  the  Son  ! "  he  pulled  the  trig- 
ger. 


74  I^^E   COSSACKS. 

A  blinding  flash  gleamed  for  a  moment  over  the 
reeds  and  the  river.  A  sharp,  short  report  rang 
out,  and  the  echo  rumbled  far  away.  The  log  no 
longer  swam  across  the  current,  but  floated  down, 
swerving  and  swaying. 

"Hold  him,  I  say!  "  cried  Yergushof,  grasping 
for  his  carbine,  and  coming  out  from  behind  the 
log. 

**  Hold  your  tongue,  you  devil  ! "  whispered 
Luka,  with  set  teeth.     "  Abreks  !  " 

**  Whom  did  you  shoot } "  asked  Nazarka. 
**  Whom   did  you  shoot,    Lukashka  }  " 

Lukashka  made  no  reply.  He  reloaded  his 
gun,  and  watched  the  log  as  it  floated  down  the 
river.  Before  it  had  gone  far,  it  ran  aground  on  a 
sandbank,  and  from  under  it  a  large  body  seemed 
to  be  moving  in  the  water. 

"  What  did  you  shoot .?  Why  don't  you  tell }  " 
insisted  the  Cossacks. 

"  Abreks  !  How  many  times  do  you  need  to  be 
told  !  "  snarled  Luka. 

"What's  that  nonsense  you're  giving  us  .-*  Did 
your  gun  go  off .?  " 

"  I  have  shot  an  abrek.  Look  there !  That's 
what  I  shot  ! "  rejoined  Lukashka,  his  voice 
breaking  in  his  excitement.  He  leaped  to  his 
feet.       "  A  man  was  swimming  across,"  said  he. 


THE  COSSACKS.  ^^ 

pointing  to  the  sandbar.  —  "I  killed  him.  Look 
yonder  !  " 

"  What  a  story  that  is  !  "  repeated  Yergushka, 
rubbing  his  eyes. 

"  Don't  you  believe  it  ?  Just  you  look  !  Look 
yonder ! "  cried  Lukashka,  seizing  him  by  the 
shoulder,  and  drawing  him  so  violently  to  himself 
that  Yergushka  groaned. 

He  looked  in  the  direction  indicated  by  Luka, 
and,  seeing  the  body,  suddenly  changed  his  tone. 

"  Ena !  I  assure  you  there  must  be  more  of 
them  !  I  assure  you  !  "  he  said,  timidly,  and  began 
to  look  around  for  his  musket.  "  That  one  swam 
over  first  ;  perhaps  they  are  here  already  ;  perhaps 
they  are  up  a  little  way  along  the  shore  ;  I  tell 
you  it  must  be  so." 

Lukashka  unbuckled  his  belt  and  began  to  take 
off  his  cherkeska. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  you  fool !  "  cried 
Yergushka.  "  It's  sheer  foolhardiness  !  What  do 
you  want  to  throw  away  your  life  for  ?  1  assure 
you,  if  he's  dead,  he  won't  run  away.  Give  us 
a  little  powder.  Have  you  got  any  .?  Nazar  !  you 
make  for  the  *  post '  lively,  but  don't  go  along  the 
shore  ;  they  would  kill  you,  I  am  sure  they  would." 

"  What !  Expect  me  to  go  alone  ?  Go  your- 
self !  "  said  Nazarka,  testily. 


76  THE  COSSACKS. 

Lukashka,  having  taken  off  his  cherkeska,  had 
gone  down  to  the  water's  edge. 

*'  Don't  run  the  risk,  I  tell  you  ! "  insisted 
Y^rgushka,  engaged  in  pouring  powder  into  the 
pan  of  his  gun.  "You  see  he  doesn't  move,, 
that's  plain  enough.  By  morning,  he  won't  have 
got  any  farther ;  so  let's  send  to  the  *  post.' 
Hurry  up,  Nazar  !  Eka  !  what  a  coward  you  are  ! 
Don't  be  a  coward,  I  tell  you  !  " 

"  But  Luka,  Luka  !  "  cried  Nazar.  —  "  Just  tell 
us  how  you  killed  him." 

Luka  changed  his  mind  about  going  instantly 
into  the  water. 

"  Hurry  up  to  the  station  and  I  will  wait  here. 
Tell  the  Cossacks  to  send  out  the  horse  patrol. 
If  they  have  crossed  over  to  this  side,  we  must 
take  them.  .  .  ." 

"  I  tell  you  they  must  have  crossed  over,"  said 
Y^rgushkof,  getting  up ;  "  of  course  we  must  take 
them." 

And  Y^rgushkof  and  Nazarka  got  up,  and, 
crossing  themselves,  started  for  the  cordon,  not 
along  the  shore,  but,  taking  the  forest  path,  and 
breaking  their  way  through  the  brambles. 

"  See  here,  Luka,  don't  you  stir ! "  was  Yergu- 
shof's  injunction,  "or  else  they'll  cut  you  off. 
Don't  you  go  into  the  water,  I  warn  you." 


THE   COSSACKS.  77 

"  Go  on,  I  know  what  I  am  about,"  replied 
Luka,  and  took  his  place  again  behind  the  log, 
examining  his  gun. 

He  sat  there  alone,  gazing  at  the  sandbar,  and 
listening  for  the  sound  of  the  Cossacks  ;  but  it 
was  a  long  distance  to  the  cordon,  and  he  began 
to  be  tormented  by  impatience.  It  occurred  to 
him  that  the  abreks  who  had  accompanied  the 
dead  one  might  make  their  escape.  He  felt  the 
same  feeling  of  vexation  against  the  abreks  who 
were  escaping  now  as  he  had  felt  the  evening 
before  at  the  loss  of  the  boar.  He  glanced  rest- 
lessly now  on  this  side,  now  on  that,  expecting 
to  see  some  one  appear,  and,  with  his  musket 
on  the  rest,  he  was  ready  to  fire.  It  never  en- 
tered his  head  that  there  was  any  chance  of  being 
killed  himself. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

It  was  now  growing  quite  light.  The  abrek's 
whole  body  was  now  plainly  in  sight,  as  it  rested 
on  the  sandbar,  scarcely  moving. 

Suddenly,  not  far  from  the  Cossack,  the  reeds 
crackled,  steps  were  heard,  and  the  tops  of  the 
reeds  were  bent.  The  Cossack  cocked  the  second 
barrel,  and  muttered  his  "  To  the  Father  and  the 
Son."  As  soon  as  the  gun  clicked  the  steps 
came   to   a   stop. 

"  H6y  !  Cossacks  !  Don't  shoot  your  uncle  !  " 
rang  out  the  imperturbable  bass,  and  Uncle 
Yeroshka,  parting  the  reeds,  came  directly  to 
him. 

"  By  God  !  I  nearly  killed  you,"  said  Lukashka. 

"  What  have  you  shot  ?  "  asked  the  old  man. 

The  old  man's  sonorous  voice,  echoing  in  the 
woods  and  along  the  river,  suddenly  broke  in  upon 
the  silence  of  the  night  and  the  mystery  surround- 
ing the  Cossack.  It  seemed  as  though  it  grew 
suddenly  lighter  and  brighter. 

"  You  did  not  see  anything  at  all,  uncle,  but  I, 
—  I  killed  a  wild  beast  ! "  said  Lukashka,  uncock- 

78 


THE   COSSACKS.  79 

ing  his  gun  and  rising  with  assumed  composure. 
The  old  man  gazed  steadily  at  the  abrek's  back, 
now  plainly  in  sight,  with  the  Terek  rippling 
around  it. 

"  He  was  swimming  on  his  back  with  the  log. 
I  caught  sight  of  him.  .  .  .  Just  look  there ! 
Look  !  He's  in  blue  drawers  ;  he's  dropped  his 
musket.  ...  Do  you  see  ?  What  t  "  exclaimed 
Lukashka. 

"  Do  you  think  I'm  blind  } "  growled  the  old 
man,  and  a  strange  mixture  of  seriousness  and 
sternness  appeared  on  his  face.  "  You  have  killed 
a  jigit ! "  he  said,  in  a  tone  that  seemed  to  express 
pity. 

**  I  was  sitting  this  way  and  looking  and  I  saw 
something  dark  on  the  other  side.  And  I  looked 
again  ;  it  was  just  as  though  a  man  came  down 
and  made  a  splash.  How  strange  !  And  then 
the  log,  a  healthy-looking  log,  was  swimming 
along,  but  didn't  swim  with  the  current,  but 
struck  across.  I  looked  ;  a  head  was  on  the  other 
side.  How  strange  !  I  lay  low,  but  couldn't  see 
anything  for  the  rushes ;  then  I  stood  up,  but  the 
rascal — he  must  have  heard,  I  think,  for  he  crept 
up  on  a  sandbar  and  looked  around.  '  You're 
mistaken,'  thinks  I,  '  you  don't  escape  me.'  Well, 
he  crept  out  and  looked  around.     (Oh  !   it  choked 


So  THE   COSSACKS. 

me  to  see  him  !)  I  got  my  gun  ready,  didn't  stir, 
and  waited.  Well,  I  stood  and  stood,  and  then  he 
started  off  swimming  again;  and  when  he  swam 
out  into  the  moonlight,  then  I  got  a  glimpse  of  his 
back.  'To  the  Father  and  the  Son  and  the  Holy 
Ghost!'  As  soon  as  the  smoke  cleared  up  a  little, 
I  saw  that  he  was  floundering.  He  groaned,  unless 
I  am  much  mistaken.  'Well,  thank  the  Lord,' 
thinks  I,  '  I  have  killed  him.'  And  when  he 
reached  the  sandbar  I  could  see  him  plainly  ;  he 
tried  to  get  up,  and  hadn't  strength  enough.  He 
staggered,  staggered  and  fell.  I  could  see  it  as 
plain  as  day.  .  .  .  There !  he  has  stopped  mov- 
ing !  he  must  be  dead  !  The  Cossacks  have  gone 
up  to  the  cordon,  so  that  the  rest  of  the  lot  may 
not  get  away." 

"  And  so  you  got  him !  "  said  the  old  man. 
"He's  quite  a  distance,  brother,  even  now.  .  .  ." 
And  again  he  shook  his  head  sadly. 

At  this  moment,  loud  talking  and  the  crackling 
of  dry  branches  were  heard  along  the  shore,  and 
the  Cossacks,  mounted  and  on  foot,  made  their 
appearance. 

"  Have  you  got  a  boat }     Say  !  "  shouted  Luka. 

"You're  a  hero,  Luka;  bring  him  to  shore," 
cried  one  of  the  Cossacks. 

Lukashka,  without  waiting  for  the  boat,  began 


THE   COSSACKS.  8 1 

to  undress,  keeping  his  eyes  all  the  time  on  his 
booty. 

"  Hold  on  !  Nazarka  is  bringing  the  boat,"  cried 
the  sergeant. 

"  Fool  !  Maybe  he  is  still  alive  !  feigning  ! 
Take  your  dagger !  "  shouted  another  Cossack. 

"  Rubbish ! "  cried  Luka,  flinging  down  his 
drawers.  It  did  not  take  him  long  to  undress ; 
then  he  crossed  himself,  and  with  a  bound  dashed 
into  the  water  with  a  splash,  wet  himself  all  over, 
and  then,  making  wide  sweeps  with  his  white 
arms  and  lifting  his  back  high  out  of  the  water  at 
every  stroke,  he  struck  out  across  the  current  and 
made  for  the  sandbar  where  the  abrek  lay.  The 
band  of  Cossacks  stood  on  the  bank  loudly  con- 
versing in  many  voices.  Three  men  on  horseback 
started  to  ride  along  the  trail.  The  boat  heaved 
in  sight  around  the  bend.  Lukashka  climbed  up 
on  the  bar,  bent  down  to  the  body,  rolled  it  over 
two  or  three  times.  "He's  dead,  fast  enough!"  he 
cried,  in  a  loud  voice. 

The  Chechenets  had  been  shot  through  the 
head.  He  wore  a  pair  of  blue  drawers,  a  shirt, 
cherkeska,  a  gun  and  a  dagger  fastened  to  his 
back.  .  .  .  Above  all  was  tied  the  big  branch 
which  had  at  first  deceived  Lukashka. 

**  That's  the  way  the  carp  was  caught !  "  cried 


82  THE   COSSACKS. 

one  of  the  Cossacks  standing  round  in  a  circle, 
as  the  body  of  the  Chcchenets,  brought  ashore  in 
the  boat,  was  laid  down  on  the  bank  in  the  thick 
grass. 

"  How  yellow  he  is  !  "  exclaimed  another. 

"  Where  have  our  men  gone  to  search  for 
them  }  Probably  they  are  all  on  the  other  side. 
If  this  one  had  not  been  their  leader,  he  would 
not  have  swum  over  in  that  way.  Why  should 
one  come  over  alone  }  "   asked  a  third. 

"  He  must  have  been  a  foxy  one  to  try  it  before 
all  the  others.  He  is  evidently  a  genuine  jigit," 
said  Lukashka,  derisively,  wringing  the  water  out 
of  his  wet  garments,  and  shivering  with  the  cold 
as  he  stood  on  the  shore.  **  His  beard  is  dyed 
and  clipped." 

''  And  he  has  a  coat  in  the  bag  on  his  back. 
He  would  have  swum  easier  without  it,"  said 
some  one. 

"  Listen,  Lukashka  !  "  said  the  sergeant,  hold- 
ing in  his  hands  the  abrek's  dagger  and  gun  : 
"  You  keep  the  dagger  and  keep  the  coat,  but, 
see  here,  let  me  have  the  gun  ;  I  will  give  you 
three  silver  rubles  for  it.  See,  the  vent-hole  is 
clear,"  he  added,  blowing  down  the  muzzle.  "  I 
should  like  to  have  it  as  a  memento." 

Lukashka    made    no    reply ;    evidently    this   re- 


THE   COSSACK'S. 


83 


quest  was  not  at  all  to  his  mind  ;  but  he  knew 
that  there  was  no  escape  from  it.  "  Just  look,  . 
what  devilish  trash !  "  he  said,  frowning,  and 
flinging  the  Circassian  coat  to  the  ground  —  "  if 
only  the  zipun  had  been  good  for  anything  ;  but 
it's  such  a  beggarly  rag  !  " 

**  It'll  be  useful  in  going  after  wood,"  remarked 
some  one. 

"  Mosyef !  Fd  like  to  go  home,"  said  Lukashka, 
evidently  forgetting  his  vexation,  and  finding  it  a 
good  chance  to  turn  the  superior's  request  to 
advantage. 

*'  All  right,  go  then  !  " 

"  Bring  him  up  to  the  cordon,  boys  !  "  cried  the 
sergeant  to  the  Cossacks,  examining  the  while  his 
prize.  "  And  we  must  have  a  shelter  built  over 
him,  to  keep  the  sun  from  him.  Perhaps  they 
will  come  down  from  the  mountains  to  ransom 
him." 

"  It  isn't  hot  yet,"  was  the  comment  of  one. 

"  But  the  jackals  might  get  hold  of  him.  That 
wouldn't  be  good,  now,  would  it }  "  replied  one  of 
the  Cossacks. 

"  We  will  set  a  watch,  and  then  they  will  come 
to  ransom  him  ;  it  would  be  bad  if  anything 
should   happen   to   him." 

**  Well,  Lukashka,  just  as  you  please;  but  you 


84  THE   COSSACKS. 

must  set  up  a  bucketful  for  the  boys,"  said  the 
sergeant,  gayly. 

"  Yes,  that's  the  proper  thing  to  do,"  assented 
the  Cossacks.  *'  See  what  luck  God  has  sent  him  ! 
he  has  killed  an  abrek  without  even  seeing  him  !  " 

"  Buy  the  dagger  and  the  zipun.  Let  me 
have  money  for  them.  And  I  will  throw  in  the 
drawers.  God  be  with  you,"  said  Luka,  *'  they 
won't  fit  me  ;  he  was  a  lean  devil !  " 

One  Cossack  bought  the  zipun  for  a  silver 
ruble,  or  monet  as  it  is  called  in  the  Caucasus. 

Another  gave  two  buckets  of  vodka  for  the 
dagger. 

"  Now,  boys,  you  can  have  a  drink,  I  will  set 
up  a  bucketful,"  said  Luka ;  ''  I  myself  will  bring 
it  from  the  village." 

"  Say,  why  not  cut  up  the  drawers  into  ker- 
chiefs for  the  girls  }  "   cried  Nazarka. 

The  Cossacks  burst  into  a  laugh. 

"  Quit  your  laughing ! "  said  the  sergeant, 
"and  bring  along  the  body.  We  must  lay  the 
carrion  near  the  hut."  .  .  . 

"What  are  you  waiting  for  .f*  Carry  him  along, 
boys,"  cried  Lukashka,  peremptorily  ;  and  the  Cos- 
sacks, though  they  did  not  relish  touching  the 
body,  obeyed  his  word  as  though  he  had  been 
their  commander. 


THE   COSSACKS.  85 

Having  lugged  the  body  a  few  steps,  they  laid 
him  down  with  the  legs  collapsing  lifelessly,  and 
stood  for  some  time  in  silence. 

Nazarka  went  to  the  body,  and  lifted  the  head, 
which  had  fallen  back,  so  as  to  see  the  round, 
gory  bullet-hole  in  the  man's  very  temple. 

"  It  marked  him  well,  didn't  it  t  Went  right 
through  his  brain,"  he  observed.  '*  No  danger  of 
his  being  lost,  his  folks  will  know  him  when  they 
see  him." 

No  one  had  anything  to  say,  and  again  the  angel 
of  silence  spread  her  wings  over  the  Cossacks. 

The  sun  had  now  risen,  and  its  broken  rays 
flecked  the  dewy  green.  The  Terek  murmured 
as  it  flowed  not  far  away  through  the  awakening 
forest.  On  all  sides  the  pheasants  cried  to  each 
other,  greeting  the  morn. 

The  Cossacks,  silent  and  motionless,  stood 
around  the  dead  man  and  looked  at  him.  The 
cinnamon-colored  body,  in  blue  drawers  alone, 
now  made  darker  by  the  water,  and  belted  tight 
about  the  hollow  belly,  was  well  proportioned  and 
beautiful.  .  .  .  His  muscular  arms  lay  rigidly 
along  his  ribs.  His  livid,  closely  shaven,  round 
head,  with  the  clotted  wound  in  the  temple,  was 
bent  back.  The  smooth,  sunburnt  brow  was 
sharply  defined  against  the  line  where  the  shaven 


S6  THE   COSSACKS. 

hair  began.  .  .  .  The  glassy,  open  eyes,  with  deep- 
set  pupils,  gazed  up,  as  if  beyond  them.  A  good- 
natured,  shrewd  smile  seemed  still  to  hover  over 
the  thin,  curling  lips,  half  covered  by  the  red, 
clipped  moustache.  The  small  finger  joints  were 
covered  with  reddish  hairs  ;  the  fingers  were 
doubled  in  and  the  nails  were  tinged  with  red. 

Lukashka  was  not  yet  dressed  ;  he  was  dripping 
wet ;  his  neck  was  redder  and  his  eyes  gleamed 
brighter  than  usual ;  his  wide,  broad  cheeks 
trembled ;  from  his  fair,  healthy  body  arose  a 
scarcely  perceptible  vapor  into  the  cool  morning 
air. 

"  He  also  was  a  man,"  he  observed,  evidently 
admiring  the  abrek. 

"Yes,  if  you  had  fallen  into  his  hands,  he 
wouldn't  have  shown  you  any  mercy,"  replied  one 
of  the  Cossacks.  The  angel  of  silence  took  her 
flight.  The  Cossacks  started  on  their  way,  talk- 
ing as  they  went.  Two  of  them  went  to  cut 
branches  for  the  shelter.  The  others  sauntered 
along  toward  the  cordon.  Luka  and  Nazarka 
hastened  to  prepare  for  their  visit  home. 

Half  aif  hour  later,  the  two  young  Cossacks 
were  on  their  way  home,  talking  all  the  time  and 
almost  running  through  the  thick  forest,  that  sep- 
arates the  Terek  from  the  village. 


THE   COSSACKS.  %'j 

"Don't  say  a  word  that  I  sent  you,  but  just  go 
and  find  out  if  her  husband  is  at  home,  will  you  ? " 
said  Luka,  in  a  sharp  voice. 

"  I  am  going  to  Yamka's,  —  we'll  have  a  spree, 
won't  we  ? "  asked  the  devoted  Nazarka. 

"  When  should  we  have  a  spree  if  not  to-day  ?  " 
replied  Luka.    , 

As  soon  as.  they  reached  the  village,  the  two 
Cossacks  filled  themselves  with  drink  and  flung 
themselves  down  to  sleep  till  evening. 


CHAPTER    X. 

On  the  third  day  after  the  events  above 
described,  two  companies  of  the  Caucasus  infan- 
try regiment  came  to  be  stationed  at  Novo- 
Mlinsk. 

The  baggage  wagons  already  stood  unhitched  in 
the  middle  of  the  square.  The  cooks  had  dug  a 
trench,  and  dragged  from  various  house  yards  any 
logs  that  they  happened  to  find  lying  about^  and 
were  busy  in  preparing  kasha  gruel.  The  men 
were  driving  in  stakes  for  fastening  the  horses. 

The  sergeants  were  calling  the  roll.  The  bil- 
leters,  as  though  they  were  at  home,  sauntered 
through  the  streets  and  lanes,  assigning  quarters 
to  officers  and  men.  Here  were  green  caissons 
set  in  martial  array.  Here  were  the  company 
wagons  and  horses.  .  .  .  Here  were  kettles,  in 
which  the  oatmeal  was  boiling.  Here  were  the 
captain  and  the  lieutenant,  and  Onisim  Mikhdilo- 
vitch,  the  sergeant-major. 

And  all  this  array  found  itself  in  the  village, 
the  very  same  village,  where,  according  to  report, 

88 


THE   COSSACKS. 


89 


the  companies  had  been  ordered  to  encamp,  hence 
the  companies  were  at  home. 

"Why  are  they  stationed  here?  What  sort  of 
men  are  these  Cossacks  ?  Are  they  pleased  at 
the  idea  of  having  the  men  quartered  on  them  ? 
Are  they  dissenters  or  not  ?  " 

This  is  none  of  their  concern.  The  soldiers, 
released  from  duty,  tired  and  dusty,  scatter  in 
noisy  disorder,  like  a  swarm  of  bees,  over  the 
streets  and  squares,  resolutely  paying  no  heed  to 
the  unfriendly  disposition  of  the  Cossacks ;  in 
groups  of  twos  and  threes,  with  rollicking  banter 
and  clattering  of  muskets,  they  scatter  about ; 
they  force  their  way  into  the  houses  ;  they  hang 
up  their  trappings  ;  they  select  places,  and  banter 
the  women. 

A  great  group  is  collected  in  the  place  so  loved 
by  the  soldiers  —  around  the  kasha-kettle  —  and, 
with  pipes  between  their  teeth,  they  watch  the 
smoke  as  it  rises  into  the  burning  sky  and  floats 
away  like  white  clouds,  or  at  the  camp-fires,  quiver- 
ing like  melted  glass  in  the  clear  air,  or  else  they 
make  witty  remarks  about  the  Cossack  men  and 
women  because  they  differ  in  some  respects  from 
the  Russians  in  their  way  of  living. 

In  all  the  yards  soldiers  are  to  be  seen  ;  their 
laughter  rings  out  and  the  sharp,  angry  cries  of 


go  THE   COSSACKS. 

the  Cossack  women  trying  to  protect  their  homes, 
and  refusing  to  give  water  or  utensils. 

The  little  boys  and  girls,  clinging  to  their 
mothers  or  to  each  other,  follow  with  affright  and 
amazement  all  the  movements  of  these  men, 
whom  they  have  never  seen  before,  or  tag  after 
them  at  a  respectful  distance.  The  old  Cossacks 
come  forth  from  their  huts,  sit  down  on  the 
embankments,  and  look  in  gloomy  silence  at  the 
hubbub  of  the  soldiers,  —  as  it  were,  scorning  it 
all  and  not  understanding  what  is  to  be  the  result 
of  it  all. 

Olyenin,  who  for  the  last  three  months  had 
been  enrolled  as  a  yunker  in  the  Caucasus 
regiment,  was  assigned  quarters  in  one  of  the 
best  houses  of  the  village,  with  the  Ensign 
Ilya  Vasilyevitch,  in  other  words,  at  Dame 
Ulitka's. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  this,  Dmitri  Andr^ye- 
vitch  }  "  asked  the  panting  Vanyusha  of  Olyenin, 
who,  after  a  five-hour  ride  on  his  Kabarda  horse, 
bought  in  Groznaya,  joyfully  galloped  into  the 
yard  of  his  new  home. 

"What's  the  matter  now,  Ivan  Vasilyevitch.?" 
he  asked,  in  return,  soothing  his  horse  and  glan- 
cing gayly  at  Vanyusha,  who,  with  hair  in  disorder 
and  with   the  sweat    pouring   down    his  dejected 


THE   COSSACKS. 


91 


face,  was  unpacking  the  things  brought  on  the 
baggage  train  with  which  he  had   come. 

Oly^nin  appeared  an  entirely  different  man. 
Instead  of  smoothly  shaven  cheeks,  he  wore  a 
moustache  and  a  young  beard.  Instead  of  the 
pale,  unhealthy  complexion  of  one  whose  nights 
are  spent  in  dissipation,  he  showed  a  fresh  and 
ruddy  tan  over  his  cheeks,  forehead,  and  ears. 
Instead  of  a  perfectly  new  black  coat,  he  wore  a 
dirty  white  cherkeska,  or  Circassian  coat,  with 
wide  lapels,  and  carried  a  rifle.  Instead  of  a  stiff, 
starched  collar,  his  sunburned  neck  was  clasped 
by  the  red  circlet  of  a  Persian  beshmet.  He  was 
dressed  in  the  Circassian  style,  but  he  did  not 
wear  it  well ;  every  one  would  have  known  that  he 
was  a  Russian  and  not  a  jigit.  It  was  all  right 
and  yet  all  wrong !  But  his  whole  person  was 
radiant  with  health,  happiness,  and  self-satisfaction. 

**  It  may  be  very  laughable  to  you  here," 
exclaimed  Vanyusha,  "but  just  you  try  to  talk 
with  these  people  ;  they  won't  let  you  near  them, 
and  that's  the  end  of  it.  You  can't  get  a  word 
out  of  them.  They  aren't  any  kind  of  Russians!" 
and  Vanyusha  angrily  flung  an  iron  pail  on  the 
threshold. 

"  Well,  you  should  have  complained  to  the  head 
of  the  village." 


92  THE   COSSACKS. 

"I  don't  know  where  to  find  him,"  replied 
Vanyusha,   testily. 

"  Who  has  insulted  you  so  here  ? "  demanded 
Olyenin,  looking  around. 

'^The  devil  take  them!  Tf  u !  The  actual 
owner  isn't  here  ;  gone  down  to  the  Kriga,^  they 
say,  and  the  old  woman  is  such  a  devil  !  The 
Lord  preserve  us  !  "  ejaculated  Vanyusha,  grasp- 
ing his  head.  "  How  we  are  going  to  live  here  is 
more  than  I  can  tell !  Worse  than  Tatars,  by 
God !  The  idea  of  calling  them  Christians ! 
Why,  in  comparison  to  them,  the  Tatar  is  a 
gentleman  !  *  Gone  down  to  the  Kriga  ! '  What 
do  they  mean  by  the  Kriga,  I  should  like  to 
know  ? "  cried  Vanyusha,  in  conclusion,  as  he 
turned  away. 

"  So  they  aren't  like  our  people  at  home }  " 
said  Olyenin,  bantering  his  man  and  not  offering 
to  dismount. 

"  Let  me  have  the  horse,  please,"  said  Vanyu- 
sha, who  was  wholly  upset  by  this  new  order  of 
things,  but  submissive  to  fate. 

"  So  they  are  worse  than  Tatars  }  Hey,  Van- 
yusha } "  repeated  Olyenin,  slipping  off  from  his 
horse  and  slapping  the  saddle  with  his  hand. 

*  Kriga  means  the  place  on  the  river-bank  were  the  nets  are 
set  for  fish :  the  weirs.  —  Author'' s  note. 


THE   COSSACKS.  q3 

"  Yes,  laugh  as  much  as  you  like.     You'll  find 
enough  to  laugh  at,"  said  Vanyusha,  in  a  tone  of  ^ 
vexation. 

"Just  wait;  don't  lose  your  temper,  Ivdn 
Vasflyitch,"  said  Olyenin,  still  smiling.  "  Just  let 
me  go  the  people  here  ;  you  wait ;  I  will  make 
everything  all  straight.  You'll  see  how  fine  we 
will  live  here !     Only  don't  get  so  stirred  up  !  " 

Vanyusha  made  no  reply,  but,  blinking  his 
eyes,  gazed  contemptuously  after  his  master  and 
shook  his  head.  Vanyusha  looked  upon  Olyenin  - 
merely  as  upon  a  master.  Olyenin  looked  upon 
Vanyusha  only  as  upon  a  servant.  And  both  of 
thet^  would  have  been  much  surprised  if  any  one 
had  told  them  that  they  were  friends.  But  they 
were  friends,  even  though  they  did  not  know  it. 

Vanyusha  had  been  taken  into  the  house  when 
he  was  a  lad  of  eleven,  and  Olyenin  was  just 
about  the  same  age.  When  Olyenin  was  fifteen, 
he  at  one  time  undertook  to  give  Vanyusha  some 
lessons  and  taught  him  to  read  French,  and  Van- 
yusha was  very  proud  of  this  accomplishment. 
Even  now,  when  he  felt  particularly  well  disposed, 
he  made  use  of  French  words,  and  when  he  did 
so  always  laughed  like  a  ninny. 

Olyenin  mounted  the  steps  of  the  cottage  and 
pushed  open  the  door  into  the  entry. 


94 


THE   COSSACKS. 


Maryana,  in  nothinsj  but  a  pink  shirt,  such  as 
the  Cossack  girls  usually  wear  when  at  home, 
sprang  back  from  the  door  in  affright,  and, 
crouching  against  the  partition,  hid  the  lower 
part  of  her  face  in  the  flowing  sleeve  of  the 
Tatar  garment. 

When  Olyenin  opened  the  door  still  wider,  he 
saw  in  the  dim  light  the  Cossack  maiden's  tall 
and  well  proportioned  form.  With  the  quick  and 
eager  curiosity  of  youth,  he  was  irresistibly 
impelled  to  notice  the  full,  virgin  lines,  in  full 
relief  under  the  thin  chintz  shirt,  and  the  hand- 
some black  eyes  fixed  upon  him  with  infantile 
terror  and  wild  wonder. 

"There  she  is  !"  said  Olyenin  to  himself.  "I 
wonder  if  there  are  many  of  them  like  her,"  was 
the  next  thought  that  occurred  to  him,  and .  he 
opened  the  door  and  entered  the  cottage.  .  .  . 
Old  Dame  Ulitka,  likewise  in  a  single  garment, 
was  bending  over  and  sweeping  the  floor,  with  her 
back  turned  to  him. 

"  Good  afternoon,  matushka.  Here  I  have 
come  to  arrange  about  my  quarters  .  .  ."  he 
began. 

The  Cossack  dame,  without  straightening  up, 
bent  on  him  her  stern  but  still  handsome  eyes. 

"  What  have  you  come  for  t     Are  you  trying  to 


THE   COSSACKS. 


95 


turn  us  into  ridicule  ?  Hey  ?  I'll  teach  you ! 
The  black  pest  take  you  ! "  she  screamed,  looking 
askance  and  frowning  darkly  at  the  new-comer. 

Olyenin  had  thought  hitherto  that  the  toil- 
worn,  heroic  army  of  the  Caucasus,  to  which  he 
belonged,  would  be  received  with  a  warm  welcome 
everywhere,  especially  by  the  Cossacks,  their  com- 
rades in  the  war ;  and  therefore  such  a  reception 
as  this  puzzled  him.  Not  allowing  himself  to  be 
bluffed,  however,  he  began  to  explain  that  it  was 
his  intention  to  pay  for  his  accommodations,  but 
the  old  dame  did  not  give  him  a  chance  to  speak. 

"  What  have  you  come  for  }  Who  wants  such 
scabs  as  you  }  A  pox  on  your  ugly  mug  !  You 
just  wait  till  my  man  comes  !  He'll  show  you 
your  place.  I  don't  want  your  cursed  money. 
Do  you  suppose  we've  never  seen  any  such  thing } 
Stench  up  the  house  with  tobacco  smoke  and 
expect  to  settle  for  it  with  money  !  Was  there 
ever  such  impudence  t  Pity  they  didn't  shoot 
your  heart  out !  "  screamed  the  old  dame,  in  a 
piercing  voice,  utterly  confounding  Olyenin. 

"  It  seems  that  Vanyushka  was  right,"  thought 
he.  "The  Tatar  is  better,"  and  he  went  out  of 
the  cottage,  followed  by  Dame  Ulitka's  billings- 
gate. 

As  he  went,  Maryana,  still  in  nothing  but  her 


^6  THE   COSSACKS. 

pink  shirt,  but  with  her  face,  all  except  the  eyes, 
wrapped  up  in  a  white  kerchief,  unexpectedly 
dashed  by  him  out  of  the  entry.  Her  bare  feet 
pattered  down  the  steps,  and  she  darted  away,  then 
stopped  suddenly,  and,  after  looking  with  laughing 
eyes  at  the  young  man  for  a  brief  moment,  disap- 
peared around  the  corner  of  the  house. 

The  beautiful  maiden's  firm,  youthful  bearing, 
the  untamed  look  of  her  eyes  gleaming  out  from 
the  white  kerchief,  and  the  fine  proportions  of  her 
lithe  form  made  now  an  even  more  powerful 
impression  on  Olyenin. 

**  She  is  the  one  !  It  must  be  !  "  he  said  to 
himself,  and,  forgetting  all  about  his  trouble  with 
the  old  dame,  and  still  having  Maryanka  in  mind, 
he  went  back  to  Vanyusha. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  wild  girl !  "  said  Van- 
yusha, still  busy  unpacking,  but  by  this  time  in  a 
better  frame  of  mind.  "  She's  a  regular  colt  !  La 
famr  he  added,  in  a  loud,  enthusiastic  voice  and  a 
burst  of  laughter. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

Toward  evening  the  master  of  the  house 
returned  from  his  fishing,  and,  finding  that  he 
could  get  pay  for  his  lodgings,  he  pacified  his  wife, 
and  satisfied  Vanyusha's  demands. 

Everything  was  soon  in  order  in  the  new  quar- 
ters. The  man  and  his  wife  retired  to  their  win- 
ter rooms,  and  allowed  the  yunker,  for  the  consid- 
eration of  three  monetae  or  silver  rubles,  a  month, 
to  instal  himself  in  the  cool  cottage.  01y6nin  ate 
a  little  lunch  and  lay  down  for  a  nap.  He  awoke 
toward  evening,  washed  himself,  brushed  his  hair, 
ate  his  dinner,  and,  lighting  a  cigarette,  sat  down 
by  the  window  facing  the  street.  The  heat  had 
somewhat  abated.  The  oblique  shadow  of  the 
cottage,  with  its  carved  ridgepole,  lay  across  the 
dusty  street,  and  even  broke  on  the  lower  part  of 
the  opposite  house,  the  slanting  roof  of  which, 
thatched  with  reeds,  gleamed  in  the  rays  of  the 
setting  sun.  The  air  was  growing  cool.  The 
village  was  still.  The  soldiers  had  found  their 
quarters  and  were  on  their  good  behavior. 

The  cattle  had  not  yet  been  driven  in,  and  the 
97 


98  THE   COSSACKS. 

people  of  the  village  were  still  out  in  the  gardens 
at  work. 

Olyenin's  lodgings  were  almost  at  the  end  of 
the  village.  Occasionally,  in  the  distance  beyond 
the  Terek,  in  the  very  direction  from  which 
Olyenin  had  come,  could  be  heard  the  sounds  of 
shots  —  on  the  Chechnya  heights  or  the  Kumit- 
sky  plain.  Olyenin  felt  in  good  spirits  after  his 
three  months  of  camp  life ;  his  face,  soaped  and 
rinsed,  felt  cool  and  fresh ;  his  strong  body  was 
clean  and  comfortable  after  the  dust  and  fatigue 
of  the  campaign ;  all  his  limbs  felt  rested  and 
full  of  serenity  and  strength. 

His  mind  was  also  clear  and  free  from  troubles. 
He  recalled  the  incidents  of  the  expedition, 
—  the  perils  which  he  had  undergone.  He  recol- 
lected that  while  he  was  in  peril  he  had  behaved 
well,  that  he  had  been  as  courageous  as  the 
others,  and  that  he  had  been  received  into  the 
good  fellowship  of  the  heroic  Kavkaztsui. 

His  recollections  of  Moscow  were  —  God  knows 
where^!  His  old  life  was  wiped  out  and  a  new,  a 
wholly  new  life  had  begun  ;  in  this  there  was  as 
yet  no  error  to  be  set  down  against  him.  Here, 
like  a  new  man  among  new  men,  it  was  possible 
for  him  to  win  a  new  and  good  report.  He  expe- 
rienced   a    youthful    sensation    of    unreasonable 


THE  COSSACKS.  qq 

enjoyment  of  life,  and,  as  he  looked  out  of  the 
window  at  the  boys  spinning  their  tops  in  the 
shadow  near  the  house,  or  inspected  the  new 
lodgings  which  had  been  assigned  to  him,  he 
thought  how  pleasantly  he  was  situated  in  this 
new  life  in  the  village.  .  .  .  He  gazed  over  toward 
the  mountains  and  the  sky,  and  there  was  min- 
gled with  all  his  recollections  and  dreams  the 
stern  realization  of  fKe  majesty' of  nature. 

His  lite  here  had  not  begun  as  he  nad  expected 
when -he  first  set  out  from  Moscow,  but  far  better 
than  he  had  expected. 

The  mountains,  the  mountains,  the  mountains 
made  the  background  of  all  his  thoughts,  of  all 
his  feeline:s  ! 

"  He's  kissed  his  dog  !  He  has  licked  the  jug  ! 
Uncle  Yeroshka  !  He's  kissed  his  dog!"  suddenly 
cried  the  children,  driving  their  tops  under  the 
window,  and  they  ran  to  the  corner  of  the  street. 
**  He  has  kissed  his  dog !  He  has  swapped  his 
dagger  for  drink !  "  cried  the  urchins,  crowding 
together   and    scampering   about. 

These  cries  were  directed  to  Uncle  Yeroshka, 
who,  with  his  gun  over  his  shoulders  and  a  bunch 
of  ph  asants  at  his  belt,  was  returning  from  the 
hunt. 

"  It's   my    sin,    children !    it's    my    sin ! "    he 


lOO  THE   COSSACKS. 

replied,  wildly  waving  his  arms  and  glancing  at 
the  windows  of  the  cottages  on  both  sides  of  the 
street.  **  I  let  the  dog  go  for  drink  !  It's  my 
sin  !  "  he  reiterated,  evidently  angry,  but  pretend- 
ing that  it  was  all  the  same  to  him, 

Olyenin  was  surprised  at  the  way  the  urchins 
behaved  toward  the  old  huntsman,  but  he  was 
still  more  astonished  at  the  strong,  intelligent 
face  and  powerful  build  of  the  man  whom  they 
called  Uncle  Y^roshka. 

"  Uncle ! '  Cossack !  "  he  called  to  him.  "  Come 
in  here  !  '* 

The  old  man  looked  at  the  window  and  paused. 
"  Good  evening,  my  worthy  friend  !  "  said  he,  lift- 
ing his  cap  from  his  closely  shaven  head. 

"  Good  evening,  my  worthy  friend  !  "  continued 
Olyenin.  "  What  are  those  little  rascals  shouting 
at  you  for }  " 

Uncle  Yeroshka  came  up  to  the  window. 

"They  make  sport  of  an  old  chap  like  me. 
That's  nothing.  I  like  'em.  Let  'em  get  their 
sport  out  of  their  old  uncle,"  said  he,^with  those 
decisive,  harmonious  tones  in  which  dignified  old 
people  are  wont  to  speak.  *'  Are  you  the  com- 
mander of  the  force  1     Hey  }  " 

*  Dvddushka,  affectionate  diminutive  of  dyadya,  uncle. 


THE  COSSACKS.  lOI 

"  No,  I  am  a  yunker.  But  where  did  you  kill 
those  pheasants  ?  "  asked  Olyenin. 

"  I  killed  the  three  hens  in  the  woods,"  replied 
the  old  man,  turning  his  broad  back  to  the  win- 
.dow.  The  three  pheasants,  which  had  stained  his 
cherkeska  with  blood,  were  fastened  by  their 
heads  to  his  belt. 

"  Haven't  you  seer  any  yet  ? "  he  asked.  "  If 
you  like  'em,  take'  a  brace.  Na  !  "  and  he  thrust 
the  two  pheasants  in  through  the  window. 
"  What }  are  you  fond  of  hunting  too  t  "  he  went 
on  to  inquire. 

"Indeed  I  am.  On  the  expedition  I  shot 
four." 

*'  Four  ?  That's  a  good  many !  "  said  the  old 
man,  ironically.  "But  do  you  drink  ?  Do  you  like 
Caucasian  wine  ?  "  ^ 

"  What  do  you  suppose  ?  Of  course,  I  enjoy 
drinking !  " 

"  Hey  !  Yes,  I  see  you  are  a  fine  young  fellow! 
You  and  I  must  be  chums,"  said  Uncle  Yeroshka. 

"  Come  in,"  said  Olyenin.  "  Here,  we'll  try 
some  of  your  red  wine." 

"Well,  I  might  come  in,"  said  the  old  man. 
"  But  here,  take  your  pheasants." 

*  The  red  Caucasian  wine,  called  Chikhir,  which  also  means 
green  wine. 


102  THE   COSSACKS. 

It  was  plain  to  see  by  the  old  man's  face  that 
the  yimker  had  got  into  his  good  graces,  and  he 
had  instantly  perceived  that  it  would  not  cost  him 
anything  to  get  drunk  at  his  expense,  and  there- 
fore it  would  be  good  policy  to  give  him  the  brace 
of  pheasants. 

In  a  moment  Uncle  Yeroshka's  form  appeared 
at  the  door  of  the  cottage.  Here  Olyenin  first 
realized  the  man's  real  size  and  powerful  build, 
although  his  red,  cinnamon-colored  countenance, 
framed  in  a  bushy  beard  perfectly  white,  was  fur- 
rowed with  the  wrinkles  of  old  age  and  of  a  labo- 
rious life. 

The  muscles  of  his  legs,  arms,  and  shoulders 
were  as  full  and  solid  as  would  be  expected  only 
in  a  far  younger  man.  Deep  scars  could  be  seen 
on  his  head,  under  his  short  hair.  His  thick, 
sinewy  neck  was  covered  with  checkered  folds 
like  that  of  an  ox.  His  freckled  hands  were 
bruised  and  scratched. 

He  stepped  easily  and  lightly  across  the  thresh- 
old, took  off  his  gun,  stood  it  up  in  the  corner, 
cast  a  quick  glance  around,  taking  in  the  general 
aspect  of  things,  and  came  into  the  middle  of  the 
room,  making  no  noise  with  his  feet,  which  were, 
as  usual,  wrapped  up  in  buckskin  porslmi.  He 
brought  with  him  a  strong  but  not   disagreeable 


THE   COSSACKS. 


103 


odor,  compounded  of  wine,  vodka,  powder,  and 
clotted  blood. 

Uncle  Yeroshka  bowed  toward  the  holy  picture, 
smoothed  his  beard,  and  then,  going  straight  up 
to  Olyenin,  gave  him  his  black,  stout  hand. 

'' Koshkildui  r'  said  he.  This  is  a  Tatar  ex- 
pression, which  means,  "Wishing  you  good 
health,"  or,  "  Peace  be  with  you." 

"  Koshkildtd  !  I  know  !  "  replied  Olyenin,  giv- 
ing him  his  hand. 

"  E  !  you  know  nothing  about  it ;  you  don't 
know  our  ways,  you  fool !  "  said  Uncle  Y6roshka, 
reproachfully,  shaking  his  head.  "  If  any  one 
says,  *  Koshkilduiy  \.\\Qn  you  must  reply,  ^  Allah 
razi  bo  sun  !  God  save  you ! '  That's  the  way, 
my  father,  and  not,  *  Koshkildui  !  '  I  will  teach 
you  all  about  it.  That's  the  way  with  your 
Russian  Ilya  Moseylftch  here  ;  he  and  I  were  great 
chums.  He  was  a  fine  young  fellow.  Tippler, 
thief,  hunter!  oh,  what  a  hunter  he  was!  I 
taught  him  all  about  it." 

"  What  will  you  teach  me }  "  asked  Olyenin, 
becoming:   more   and    more  interested  in  the  old 


*C3 

man. 


"  I  will  take  you  out  hunting ;  I  will  teach  you 
to  catch  fish  ;  I  will  show  you  the  Chechens ;  and, 
if  you  want  a  dushenka,  I  will  get  one  for  you. 


104 


THE   COSSACKS. 


That's  the  kind  of  a  man  I  am  —  a  regular 
joker  !  "  And  the  old  man  laughed.  **  I  will  sit 
down,  my  father ;  I  am  tired.  Karga  ? "  he 
asked,  with  a  questioning  look. 

"  What  does  karga  mean  t "  asked  Olyenin. 

"  That  means  *  good,'  in  the  Georgian  speech. 
I  am  always  saying  that.  It's  a  byword  of  mine  ; 
my  favorite  expression,  —  karga  ;  when  I  say  that, 
it  means  that  I  am  joking.  How  is  it,  my  father.? 
will  you  send  out  and  get  some  red  wine  }  Do 
you  keep  a  man  1  do  you }  his  name  Ivan  .-* " 
cried  the  old  huntsman.  "  All  your  men  are 
named  Ivan,  aren't  they  }     Is  yours  Ivan  t  " 

'*  Certainly  he's  Ivan.  .  .  .  Vanyusha  !  please, 
get  some  red  wine  of  Dame  Ulitka  and  bring  it 
here." 

"Ivan  and  Vanyusha  !  It's  all  the  same  thing. 
Why  are  your  body-men  all  called  Ivan  .'*  Ivan  !  " 
said  the  old  man,  rolling  the  name  over  and 
over.  ..."  Young  man,'  be  sure  and  get  it 
from  a  cask  that  has  been  opened.  Ah  !  they 
have  the  best  red  wine  in  the  village.  But  don't 
give  more  than  thirty  kopeks  a  quart  for  it ;  the 
old  hag,  she'd  like  to  .  .  .  Our  people  are  a 
cursed,  stupid  lot,"  continued  Uncle  Yeroshka,  in 
a  confidential  tone,  after  Vanyusha  had  gone  out. 

*  Bdtiushka. 


THE  COSSACKS.  IO5 

"  They  don't  call  you  people  at  all.  In  their  eyes, 
you  are  worse  than  the  Tatars.  The  Russians 
they  hold  to  be  low  trash.  But,  in  my  opinion, 
though  you  are  a  soldier,  still  you  are  a  man  ; 
you've  got  a  good  soul  in  your  body.  That's  my 
idea,  now.  There  was  Ilya  Moseyitch  ;  he  was  a 
soldier,  but  what  a  golden  fellow  he  was  !  Isn't 
that  so,  my  father }  And  that's  one  reason  why 
our  people  don't  like  me.  But  it  makes  no  differ- 
ence to  me.  I'm  a  jolly  fellow  ;  I  like  everybody 
that  comes  along  ;  my  name's  Y6roshka ;  that's 
what  it  is,  my  father." 

And  the  old  man  caressingly  slapped  the  young 
Russian  on  the  shoulder. 


CHAPTER   XIL 

Vanyusha,  meantime,  who  had  succeeded  in 
getting  his  housekeeping  arrangements  in  running 
order,  had  been  trimmed  up  by  the  regimental 
barber,  and,  as  a  sign  that  the  company  was  in 
more  commodious  quarters,  had  pulled  his  trou- 
sers out  of  his  boot  legs,  was  now  in  the  most 
amiable  frame  of  mind.  He  gazed  at  Uncle 
Yeroshka  attentively  but  not  at  all  benevolently, 
as  though  he  were  some  sort  of  strange  wild 
beast,  shook  his  head  at  the  floor  which  he  had 
tracked  over,  and,  pulling  out  from  under  the 
bench  two  empty  bottles,  went  off  to  the  mistress 
of  the  house. 

"  Good  evening,  worthy  people,"  said  he,  deter- 
mining to  be  particularly  sweet.  **  The  barin 
sent  me  to  buy  some  red  wine.  Be  kind  enough 
to  fill  these." 

The  old  dame  made  no  reply.  Mary  ana  was 
standing  before  a  little  Tatar  mirror  and  arrang- 
ing her  kerchief  over  her  head.  She  said  nothing, 
but  gazed  at  Vanyusha. 

"  I  will  pay  the  money  down,  honored  people," 
io6 


THE   COSSACKS. 


107 


said  Vanyusha,  rattling  the  coins  in  his  pocket. 
"  You  be  polite  and  we  will  be  polite  too ;  that's 
the  best  way,"  he  added. 

"  How  much  you  want  ? "  demanded  the  old 
dame,  curtly. 

"  A  couple  of  quarts." 

"Go,  dear,  draw  it  for  him,"  said  Dame  Ulitka, 
turning  to  her  daughter.  "  Draw  it  from  the 
opened  cask,  darling." 

The  maiden  took  the  key  and  a  jug,  and, 
accompanied  by  Vanyusha,  left   the  room. 

**  Tell  me,  please,  what  sort  of  a  young  woman 
that  is,"  asked  the,  young  officer,  pointing  to 
Maryanka,  who  just  then  passed  by  the  window. 

The  old  man  winked  and  nudged  Olyenin's 
elbow. 

"Wait  a  bit,"  said  he,  and  thrust  his  head  out 
of  the  window.  "  K-khm  !  K-khm  !  "  he  coughed 
and  reared.  "  Maryanushka,  ah,  sister  Mary- 
anka !  Love  me,  dushenka  !  .  .  .  I  am  a  joker  !  " 
he  said,  in  a  whisper,  addressing  Olyenin. 

The  girl,  evenly  and  vigorously  swinging  her 
arms,  passed  by  the  window  with  the  dashing, 
jaunty  gait  peculiar  to  the  Cossack  women.  She 
did  not  turn  her  head,  but  merely  gave  the  old 
man  a  deliberate  glance  from  her  dark  eyes,  from 
under  their  long  lashes. 


I08  THE   COSSACKS. 

"  Love  me  and  you  will  be  happy,"  cried 
Yeroshka,  winking  at  the  officer  and  looking  at 
him  questioningly.  "  I  am  a  bravo  ;  I  am  a 
joker,"  he  went  on  to  say.  "  She's  a  queenly 
girl,  hey  !  " 

"  She's  a  beauty,"  exclaimed  Olyenin.  *'  Bring 
her  in  ! " 

"Nay,  nay,"  replied  the  old  man.  ''She's  to  be 
married  to  Lukashka,  —  Luka,  a  Cossack  bravo,  a 
jigit.  He  killed  an  abrek  a  day  or  two  ago.  I'll 
find  you  a  better  one.  I'll  get  you  one  who  dresses 
all  in  silks ;  yes,  and  in  silver  too.  What  I  prom- 
ise, I  perform.     I'll  have  a  beauty  for  you." 

*'  Old  man,  what  are  you  saying } "  demanded 
Olyenin.     "  Didn't  you  know  that  was  a  sin  }  " 

"  A  sin  }  Where's  the  sin  ?  Is  it  a  sin  to  look 
at  a  pretty  girl  ?  Is  it  a  sin  to  go  about  with 
one  ?  Is  it  a  sin  to  love  one  ?  Is  it  so  with  you 
there  .-*  No,  my  father,  that  isn't  a  sin,  but  a  sav- 
ing grace  !  God  made  you,  and  God  made  the 
wench.  He  made  all  things,  my  dear  boy.'  And 
so  it's  no  sin  to  look  at  a  pretty  little  wench. 
That's  what  she's  made  for,  to  be  loved  and  to 
have  a  good  time  with !  That's  my  idea  of  it,  my 
good  man." 

Passing  through  the  courtyard  and  coming  into 

»  Bdtiushka,  little  father. 


THE   COSSACKS.  IO9 

the  dark,  cool  wine-cellar  filled  full  of  casks, 
Maryana,  with  the  usual  prayer,  went  to  one  of 
them  and  filled  her  dipper  from  it.  Vanyusha, 
standing  at  the  door,  grinned  as  he  looked  at  her. 
It  seemed  to  him  terribly  ridiculous  that  she  wore 
nothing  but  a  shirt,  fitting  tightly  behind  and 
loosely  in  front,  and  still  more  ridiculous  that  she 
had  a  string  of  half-ruble  pieces  around  her  neck. 
His  feeling  was  that  this  was  un-Russian,  and 
that  the  people  at  home  would  have  had  a  hearty 
laugh  could  they  have  seen  such  a  damsel.  "  La 
fil  kom  si  tri  bye,^  for  a  variety,"  he  said  to 
himself.  "  I  shall  have  to  tell  the  barin  about 
her." 

**  What  are  you  standing  there  for,  you  devil } " 
suddenly  cried   the   girl.      "Here,  give    me    the 

jug!" 

Having  filled  the  jug  full  of  cool,  red  wine, 
Maryana  handed  it  to  Vanyusha. 

"  Give  the  money  to  mamuka,"  said  she,  push- 
ing back  the  hand  that  held  out  the  coins  to  her. 

Vanyusha  laughed  outright. 

**  Why  are  you  so  touchy,  my  dear  ?  "  said  he, 
good-naturedly,  waiting  while  the  girl  shut  up  the 
cask. 

She  began  to  laugh. 

*  Meaning  Lafille  comme  c'est  trh  belle,  the  girl  is  very  pretty. 


no  THE   COSSACKS. 

"  But  are  you  polite  ?  " 

"The  master  and  I  are  very  polite,"  replied 
Vanyusha,  with  conviction.  "  We  are  so  polite 
that  wherever  we  have  lived  they  have  liked  us. 
You  see,  he's  a  nobleman." 

The  girl  stopped  and  listened. 

"  And  is  he  married,  your  master  there.-*"  she 
asked. 

"  No !  Our  barin  is  young  and  a  bachelor. 
Because,  of  course,  the  nobility  can't  get  married 
while  they  are  young,"  explained  Vanyusha, 
didactically. 

"  You  don't  say !  A  man  gets  to  be  a  fat 
buffalo  like  that  and  yet  too  young  to  marry  !  Is 
he  the  captain  of  all  of  you  t "  she  went  on  to 
ask. 

"  My  gentleman  is  only  a  yunker  ;  that  means 
he  isn't  a  regular  officer  yet.  But  he's  of  more 
consequence  than  a  general  —  he's  a  big  man. 
Because  not  only  our  colonel  but  the  Tsar  himself 
knows  him,"  explained  Vanyusha,  proudly.  "'  We 
aren't  like  the  rest  of  the  poor  trash  in  the  army, 
but  our  papenka  is  a  senator  himself ;  he  has 
more  than  a  thousand  serfs,  and  he  sends  us 
thousands  of  rubles.  And  so  they  like  us  every- 
where. And  sometimes  even  a  captain  hasn't 
any  money.     So  what  is  the  use  ?  .  .  ." 


THE   COSSACKS.  HI 

"  Come,  I  am  going  to  lock  up,"  said  the  girl, 
interrupting. 

Vanyusha  brought  in  the  wine  and  explained  to 
Olyenin  that  ''  la  fil  sHre  zhuli^'  and  immediately 
went  out  with  his  silly  laugh. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

In  the  meantime,  they  were  beating  the  tattoo 
in  the  square.  The  people  were  returning  from 
their  labors.  The  herds  were  lowing  in  the  gates, 
raising  a  cloud  of  dust  that  looked  like  gold,  and 
the  girls  and  women  were  bustling  about  through 
the  streets  and  yards,  getting  their  cattle  home. 
The  sun  had  entirely  sunk  behind  the  distant, 
snowy  crests.  A  dove-colored  shadow  rested  along 
the  earth  and  sky.  Over  the  darkening  gardens 
the  stars  began  faintly  to  glisten,  and  the  village 
was  slowly  relapsing  into  silence.  After  they  had 
housed  their  cattle,  the  Cossack  women  collected 
on  the  street  corners  or  sat  down  on  the  terraces, 
cracking  melon  seeds.  Maryanka,  who  had  al- 
ready milked  the  two  cows  and  the  buffalo,  was 
to  be  found  in  one  such  group,  composed  of 
several  women  and  girls  and  one  old  Cossack. 

The  talk  ran  on  the  killing  of  the  abrek.  The 
Cossack  was  telling  the  story ;  the  women  lis- 
tened, occasionally  asking  questions. 

"  Well,  his  reward,  I  suppose,  will  be  very  large ; 
won't  it  ?  "  asked  one  Cossack  girl. 


THE   COSSACKS.  II3 

"  If  it  isn't  it  ought  to  be  !  They  say  they  will 
send  him  a  cross." 

"  And  that  Mosyef  tried  to  insult  him.  He 
took  away  his  gun,  but  the  officers  in  Kizlyar 
have  heard  about  it," 

"  He's  a  mean  fellow,  that  Mosyef." 

"They  say  Lukashka  is  in  town,"  said  one 
young   girl. 

"  He  and  Nazarka  are  spreeing  it  at  Yamka's. 
They  say  they  have  drunk  a  whole  gallon." 

Yamka  was  a  dissolute,  unmarried  Cossack 
woman  who  kept  a  dramshop. 

"That's  just  the  Urvan's  luck!"  said  some 
one.  "Truly  he's  the  Urvan  !  Fact!  he's  a  fine 
young  fellow  I  shrewd  !  Truly  he's  a  fine  lad ! 
And  so  was  his  father  before  him,  batyaka 
Kiryak  ;  he's  just  like  his  father.  When  he  was 
killed,  the  whole  village  mourned  for  him.  See  ! 
there  they  are  coming  now  I "  continued  the 
speaker,  pointing  to  three  Cossacks  who  were 
walking  toward  them  down  the  street.  "  Yer- 
gushof  has  been  drinking  with  them.  What  a  tip- 
pler he  is  !  " 

Lukashka,  Nazarka,  and  Yergushof,  all  of 
whom  had  been  drinking  heavily,  came  up  to  the 
girls.  Their  faces  were  redder  than  usual,  espe- 
cially the  old  Cossack's.     Yergushof  was  stagger- 


I  ,4  THE   COSSACKS. 

ing  along  and,  all  the  time  laughing  noisily,  was 
punching  Nazarka  in  the  ribs. 

"  Say,  you  wenches,  won't  you  sing  us  a  song?" 
cried  one  of  them  to  the  girls.  "  I  say,  you  sing, 
for  we're  having  a  spree  !  " 

**  How  are  you  to-day  }  How  are  you  to-day  } " 
exclaimed  the  women,  giving  them  welcome. 

"The  idea  of  singing!  It  isn't  a  holiday,  is 
it  }  "  asked  one  of  the  women.  '*  You  are  full ; 
sing  yourself  !  " 

Yergushof  burst  into  a  laugh  and  punched 
Nazarka.  **  You  sing,  will  you  .-*  And  I'll  sing 
too.     I'm  a  fine  hand  at  singing,  I  tell  you." 

"Well,  you  pretty  girls,  are  you  all  asleep.^" 
exclaimed  Nazarka.  "  We  have  come  in  from  the 
cordon  to  have  a  celebration ;  we  have  been  drink- 
ing to  Lukashka's  good  luck  !  " 

Lukashka,  joining  the  group,  slowly  pushed 
back  his  Cossack  cap  and  stood  before  the  girls. 
His  wide  cheeks  and  his  neck  were  red.  He 
stood  there  talking  in  a  low  tone,  gravely ;  but  in 
the  deliberation  and  gravity  of  his  motions  there 
was  more  life  and  strength  than  in  Nazarka's 
chatter  and  bustle.  He  reminded  one  of  a  sport- 
ive stallion,  which  raises  his  tail  and  snorts,  and 
then  stands  as  though  his  feet  were  fastened  to  the 
ground.     Lukashka  stood  quietly  in  front  of  the 


THE   COSSACKS.  II5 

girls  ;  his  eyes  were  full  of  merriment  ;  he  said 
little,  but  glanced  now  at  his  drunken  comrades, 
now  at  the  girls.  When  Maryana  came  to  the 
corner,  he  raised  his  cap  with  a  slow,  deliberate 
motion,  moved  back  a  little,  and  stood  in  front  of 
her,  with  one  leg  slightly  advanced,  thrusting  his 
thumbs  into  his  belt,  and  toying  with  his  dagger. 
Maryana,  in  reply  to  his  salutation,  slowly  bent 
her  head,  sat  down  on  the  terrace,  and  pulled 
some  melon  seeds  out  from  the  bosom  of  her 
shirt.  Lukashka,  not  turning  his  eyes  away,  gazed 
at  her,  and,  cracking  a  seed  between  his  teeth, 
spit  out  the  shell.  No  one  was  speaking  when 
Maryana  joined  the  group. 

"Well,  have  you  come  for  a  long  stay?  "  asked 
one  of  the  women,  breaking  the  silence. 

"Till  to-morrow,"  replied  Lukashka,  gravely. 

"Well,  then,  God  grant  you  good  fortune!" 
exclaimed  the  Cossack.  "  I  am  glad,  as  I  was 
just  saying." 

"  And  so  say  I,"  replied  the  drunken  Yergushof, 
laughing.  "  So  we  have  some  strangers  here, 
have  we  1 "  he  added,  pointing  to  a  soldier  who 
was  passing  by.  "  Soldiers'  vodka  is  good  ;  I  like 
it!" 

"They  sent  three  of  their  devils  to  us,"  said 
one  of  the  Cossack  women.     "  My  old  man  went 


Il6  THE   COSSACKS. 

to  headquarters,  but  they  say  there's  nothing  to 
be  clone  about  it." 

**  Aha  !  it  bothers  you,  does  it  ?  " 

*'  Do  they  smoke  everything  up  with  their 
tobacco  ? "  suggested  another  Cossack  woman. 
"  Let  'em  smoke  as  much  in  the  yard  as  they 
please,  but  I  won't  have  it  in  the  house.  Not 
even  if  the  head  of  the  village  interfered  would  I 
allow  it.     And,  then,  they  will  steal."  ' 

"It's  plain  you  don't  like  'em,"  said  Yergushof 
again. 

"  And,  then,  they  say  too  that  the  order  has 
been  given  for  the  girls  to  make  the  beds  for  the 
soldiers  and  give  them  red  wine  and  honey!  "  said 
Nazarka,  imitating  Lukashka's  attitude,  and  also 
in  the  same  way  pushing  his  hat  back  on  the  back 
of  his  head. 

Yergushof,  bursting  into  a  loud  laugh,  seized 
and  hugged  the  girl  who  stood  nearest  to  him. 
*'  I  believe  that's  so." 

**  Now,  none  of  your  nonsense,"  shrieked  the 
girl.     "  I  will  tell  my  ma  !  " 

"  Tell  her  !  "  cried  the  drunken  fellow.  "  And, 
faith,  Nazarka  speaks  the  truth.  It  was  in  a 
note ;  he  knows  enough  to  read  it.  Fact  !  " 
And  he  tried  to  hug  another  of  the  maidens,  in 
regular  sequence. 


THE   COSSACKS. 


117 


"  What  are  you  trying  to  do,  you  rascal  ? " 
laughingly  exclaimed  the  moon-faced,  rosy  Usten- 
ka,  giving  him  a  push. 

The  Cossack  staggered  back  and  almost  fell. 

"There,  they  pretend  that  girls  have  no 
strength  ;  she  almost  knocked  me  down  ! " 

'*  There,  now,  you  rascal !  the  devil  brought  you 
from  the  cordon,"  exclaimed  Ustenka,  and,  as  she 
turned  away  from  him,  she  laughed  like  a  colt. 
"  So  you  were  asleep  when  the  abrek  came.  He 
might  have  cut  you  off,  and  it  would  have  been 
good  riddance." 

**  You'd  have  cried  though  ! "  exclaimed  Na- 
zarka. 

"  Yes,  just  as  I  should  have  cried  for  you  !  " 

**  There,  you  see  she  hasn't  any  heart !  Would 
she  have  cried  for  you,  Nazarka,  hey } "  exclaimed 
Yergushof. 

Lukashka  all  this  time  was  gazing  silently  at 
Maryanka.  His  steady  gaze  evidently  confused 
the  girl. 

"  Well,  Maryanka,  I  hear  they  have  quartered 
one  of  the  officers  with  you,"  said  he,  moving 
nearer  to  her. 

Maryanka,  as  usual,  did  not  instantly  reply,  but 
slowly  lifted  her  eyes  to  the  Cossack.  Lukashka's 
eyes  had  a  gleam  of  a  smile  in  them,  as  though 


Il8  THE   COSSACKS. 

something  out  of  the  ordinary  and  apart  from  the 
others  were  passing  between  him  and  the  maiden. 

"  Yes,  it  is  all  right  for  them,  as  they  have  two 
cottages,"  said  an  old  woman,  taking  the  word 
out  of  Maryanka's  mouth.  "  But  there  at 
Fomushkin's  they  have  had  to  take  one  of  the 
officers,  and  they  say  he  has  taken  their  best 
room  and  they  haven't  any  room  left  for  their  own 
family.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  such  a  thing  !  — 
quartering  a  whole  horde  of  them  in  the  village  ! 
What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it }  "  said  she. 
"  And  what  a  black  plague  they  bring  on  us  ! " 

"They  say  they  are  going  to  build  a  bridge 
across  the  Terek/'  said  one  of  the  girls. 

"  And  I  was  told,"  interrupted  Nazarka,  going 
up  to  Ustenka,  "  that  they  are  going  to  dig  a  well 
and  bury  you  girls  in  it,  because  you  won't  love 
these  young  lads."  And  again  he  made  his  fa- 
vorite bow  and  scrape,  at  which  they  all  laughed, 
and  Yergushof  immediately  began  to  hug  the  old 
Cossack  woman,  passing  by  Maryanka,  though 
she  was  next  in  order. 

"Why  don't  you  take  Maryanka.^  She  would 
be  the  next,"  said  Nazarka. 

"  Nay,  my  old  woman  is  sweeter ! "  cried  the 
Cossack,  smacking  the  old  dame,  who  struggled 
to  escape. 


THE   COSSACKS.  Ug 

"  He's  choking  me  ! "  cried  she,  with  a  laugh. 

The  measured  tread  of  footsteps  at  the  end  of 
the  street  interrupted  the  laughter.  Three  sol- 
diers, in  overcoats,  with  rifles  over  their  shoulders, 
were  on  their  way  to  relieve  the  guard  over  the 
regimental  chest.  The  corporal,  an  old  cavalry- 
man, looked  sternly  at  the  Cossacks,  and  led  the 
soldiers  in  such  a  way  as  to  oblige  Lukashka  and 
Nazarka  to  make  room.  Nazarka  stepped  aside, 
but  Lukashka  only  blinked  his  eyc^s,  turned  his 
head  and  his  broad  back,  and  did  not  stir  from  the 
place. 

"When  people  are  standing,  you  can  turn  out," 
he  muttered,  shaking  his  head  contemptuously 
toward  the  soldiers. 

The  soldiers  silently  marched  by,  keeping  step 
along  the  dusty  road. 

Maryana  laughed,  and  so  did  all  the  other 
girls.  "  Eki !  what  smart  boys  !  "  said  Nazarka. 
"  Just  like  long-skirted  choir-singers  !  "  and  he 
started  to  march  down  the  street,  in  imitation  of 
their  manner. 

Once  more  the  crowd  burst  into  a  laugh. 
Lukashka  slowly  walked  up  to  Maryana. 

"And  where  is  your  officer  lodged  }  "  he  asked. 

Maryana  deliberated  before  she  spoke. 

"  He  has  been  put  into  the  new  room." 


I20  THE   COSSACKS. 

"  Say,  is  he  young  or  old  ? "  demanded  Lu- 
kashka,  sitting  down  near  the  girl. 

"  Well,  do  you  suppose  I  have  asked  him  ? " 
replied  the  girl.  "  I  went  to  get  some  red 
wine  for  him,  saw  him  sitting  in  the  window 
talking  with  Uncle  Yeroshka :  a  reddish-look- 
ing fellow.  And  he  brought  a  whole  cart-load 
of  things." 

And  she  dropped  her  eyes. 

"  How  glad  I  am  that  I  had  a  chance  to  come 
in  from  the  cordon  !  "  exclaimed  Lukashka,  mov- 
ing nearer  along  the  terrace  toward  the  girl,  and 
looking  straight  into  her  eyes. 

"  How  long  can  you  stay  ?  "  asked  Maryanka, 
slightly  smiling. 

"  Till  to-morrow.  Give  me  some  seeds,"  he 
added,   stretching  out  his  hand. 

Maryana  laughed  outright  and  opened  the  fold 
of  her  shirt  bosom. 

"  Only  don't  take  them  all,"  said  she. 

"Truly,  I  was  very  lonesome  without  you,  by 
God  !  "  said  Luka,  in  a  low,  wary  whisper,  taking 
the  seeds  from  the  girl's  bosom  ;  and  then,  mov- 
ing still  closer  to  her,  he  began  to  whisper  some- 
thing in  her  ear,  with  smiling  eyes. 

"  I  will  not  come ;  that's  the  end  of  it,"  said 
Maryana,  suddenly,  aloud,  turning  from  him.  .  .  . 


THE   COSSACKS. 


121 


"  Truly.  .  .  .  This  is  what  I  meant,"  whispered 
Lukashka.     "By  God!     Come,  Mashenka." 

Maryanka  shook  her  head  decisively,  but  still 
she  smiled. 

"  Sister  Maryanka  !  Hey,  sister !  Mamuka 
sends  for  you  to  come  home  to  supper,"  cried 
Maryanka's  younger  brother,  running  up  to  the 
group  of  Cossacks. 

"I'm  coming,"  replied  the  maiden.  "You  go 
on,  my  boy ; '  I  will  follow ;  you  go  on  by  your- 
self." 

Lukashka  stood  up  and  straightened  his  hat. 
"It's  time  for  me  to  be  going  home;  that's  the 
better  way,"  said  he,  pretending  to  be  indifferent, 
but  finding  it  hard  to  repress  a  smile  ;  and  he 
disappeared  around  the  corner  of  the  house. 

Meantime,  night  had  entirely  settled  down  upon 
the  village.  The  bright  stars  were  scattered  over 
the  vault  of  heaven.  The  streets  were  dark 
and  empty.  Nazarka  stood  with  the  Cossack 
women  on  the  terrace,  and  their  laughter  was 
still  heard.  Lukashka,  going  with  a  light  step 
from  the  girls,  turned  like  a  cat,  and,  holding  his 
rattling  dagger,  suddenly  began  to  run  noise- 
lessly, not  in  the  direction  of  his  home,  but 
toward   the   ensign's    house.     After   he   had  run 

»  Bdtiushka. 


122  THE   COSSACKS. 

along  two  streets,  he  turned  into  a  side  street, 
and,  gathering  up  his  cherkeska,  sat  down  on  the 
ground  in  the  shadow  of  the  fence. 

**  What  a  girl  the  ensign's  daughter  is ! "  he 
said  to  himself.  "  She  isn't  willing  to  have  a  little 
fun  !     Well,  the  time  will  come  !  " 

The  steps  of  a  woman  approaching  were  heard. 
He  listened  and  laughed  .to  himself.  Maryana, 
with  her  head  bent,  came  straight  toward  him 
with  quick  and  even  steps,  letting  her  switch  clat- 
ter against  the  palings  of  the  fence.  Lukashka 
stood  up.  Maryanka  was  startled  and  stopped 
short. 

*'  There,  the  cursed  devil  !  He  frightened  me  ! 
So  he  did  not  go  home  after  all,"  said  she,  with  a 
merry  laugh. 

Lukashka  threw  one  arm  around  the  girl  and 
with  the  other  hand  clasped  her  face.  "  What 
was  I  going  to  say  to  you  .'*...   By  God  !  " 

His  voice  trembled  and  broke. 

"  What  kind  of  talk  is  this  for  the  night  ! " 
replied  Maryana.  "  Mamuka  is  waiting  ;  you  go 
to  your  mistress  !  " 

And,  freeing  herself  from  him,  she  ran  a  few 
steps  away.  When  she  reached  the  hedge  that 
separated  her  own  yard  from  the  street,  she 
paused  and  turned  to  the  Cossack,  who  had  run 


THE   COSSACKS.  1 33 

alongside  of  her,  still  trying  to  persuade  her  to 
stay  a  little  while  with  him. 

"  Well,  what  is  it  you  want,  you  owl  ?  "  and 
again  she  laughed. 

"  Don't  make  sport  of  me,  Maryana.  By  God  ! 
What  if  I  have  a  mistress  }  The  devil  take  her  ! 
Only  say  the  word  and  I  will  love  you  so  !  I  will 
do  anything  you  wish.  Do  you  hear.**"  (And  he 
jingled  the  coins  in  his  pocket.)  *'  We  will  have 
a  jolly  life.  Men  enjoy  themselves,  and  why 
shouldn't  I }  You  don't  give  me  any  joy  at  all, 
Marydnushka  ! " 

The  girl  made  no  reply,  but  stood  in  front  of 
him,  and,  with  quick-moving  fingers,  broke  her 
switch  into  little  fragments. 

Lukashka  suddenly  doubled  his  fists  and  set  his 
teeth. 

"  Yes,  and  why  should  we  be  always  waiting 
and  waiting  }  You  can't  imagine  how  I  love  you, 
matushka !  Do  with  me  what  you  please,"  said 
he,  suddenly,  frowning  wrathfully  and  seizing 
both  of  her  hands. 

Maryana  did  not  change  the  calm  expression  of 
her  face  and  voice. 

**  Don't  get  excited,  Lukashka,  but  hear  what  I 
have  to  say,"  she  replied,  not  withdrawing  her 
hands,  but  pushing  the  Cossack  a  little  from  her. 


124  ^-^-^   COSSACKS. 

,  .  .  "  Of  course,  I  am  a  girl,  but  you  listen  to 
me.  It  is  not  for  me  to  say,  but  if  you  love  me, 
then,  this  is  what  I  will  tell  you.  Let  go  of  my 
hands  and  I  will  tell  you.  I  am  willing  to  marry 
you,  but  you  must  not  expect  any  follies  from  me 
—  never,"  said  Maryanka,  looking  him  straight  in 
the  face. 

*'  What  do  you  mean  —  get  married  }  Mar- 
riage is  not  in  my  power.  No,  I  want  you 
to  love  me,  Maryanushka,"  said  Lukashka, 
his  gloomy  and  excited  mood,  by  an  abrupt 
change,  becoming  sweet,  complaisant,  and  affec- 
tionate, while  he  looked  close  into  her  eyes 
and  smiled. 

Maryana  pressed  close  to  him  and  gave  him  a 
loud  kiss  on  the  lips. 

**  Dear  brother,"  she  whispered,  impetuously 
hugging  him.  Then,  suddenly  tearing  herself 
away,  she  started  to  run,  and,  without  looking 
around,  darted  into  her  own  gate.  .  Notwithstand- 
ing the  Cossack's  entreaties  to  wait  just  one  min- 
ute more,  and  hear  what  he  had  to  say,  Maryana 
did  not  stop. 

"  Go  away  !  We  shall  be  seen  ! "  she  said, 
imperatively.  ''  There  is  that  devil  of  a  lodger,  I 
think,  walking  in  the  yard." 

"The   ensign's    daughter,"    said    Lukashka    to 


THE  COSSACKS.  1 25 

himself.      "She     likes    the    idea    of     marriage. 
Marriage  is  well  enough,  but  only  love  me  !  " 

He  found  Nazarka  at  Yamka's,  and,  after 
drinking  awhile  with  him,  he  went  to  Dtinyashka 
and  spent  the  night  there  in  spite  of  her  unfaith- 
fulness. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

Olyenin  was  really  walking  in  the  yard  at  the 
time  when  Maryanka  came  into  ,the  gate,  and  he 
had  heard  what  she  said  about  "  that  devil  of  a 
lodge^." 

Air  that  evening  he  had  spent  with  Uncle 
Yeroshka  on  the  steps  of  his  new  domicile,  lie 
had  ordered  a  table,  the  samovar,  the  wine,  and  a 
lighted  candle  to  be  brought  out,  and,  over  a  glass 
of  tea  and  his  cigar,  he  had  listened  to  the  tales 
told  by  the  old  man,  who  was  sitting  at  his  feet, 
on  one  of  the  steps.  Although  the  air  was  calm, 
the  candle  flickered  and  the  flame  bent  this  way 
and  that,  now  lighting  up  the  newel-post,  now  the 
table  and  the  tea  service,  now  the  old  man's 
white,  closely  cropped  head. 

Night  moths  fluttered  about,  scattering  the  dust 
from  their  wings  as  they  dashed  against  the  table 
and  the  glasses ;  some  flew  through  the  flame 
and  disappeared  in  the  blackness  outside  of  the 
charmed  circle  of  the  light. 

Olyenin    and    Yeroshka    had    drunk    together 

five  bottles  of  red  wine.      Every  time  that  the  old 

126 


THE   COSSACKS.  12/ 

man  filled  his  glass,  he  held  it  up  to  Olycnin, 
drank  to  his  health,  and  talked  without  relaxation. 
He  told  about  the  former  life  of  the  Cossacks, 
about  his  father,  **  Broad-back,"  who  carried,  sin- 
gle-handed on  his  shoulders,  the  carcass  of  a  wild- 
boar  weighing  three  hundred  and  sixty  pounds, 
and  used  to  drink  at  one  sitting  more  than  twenty 
quarts  of  red  wine.  He  told  about  the  days  of 
his  prime,  and  about  his  friend  Girchik,  with 
whom,  at  the  time  of  the  plague,  he  had  brought 
felt-saddled  horses  from  the  other  side  of  the 
Terek.  He  told  about  his  hunting,  and  how  one 
morning  he  had  killed  two  stags.  He  told  about 
his  dushenka,  who  used  to  creep  out  at  night  to 
see  him  at  the  cordon.  .  .  .  And  his  whole  narra- 
tion was  so  eloquent  and  animated  that  Olyenin 
did  not  observe  how  time  was  passing. 

"But  you  see,  my  father,"  said  he,  "you  did 
not  know  me  at  my  golden  time ;  I'd  have  shown 
you  everything.  To-day  Yeroshka  *  has  licked 
the  pot,'  but  then  Yeroshka's  fame  was  spread 
throughout  the  whole  army.  Who  had  the  best 
horse?  Who  had  a  genuine  Gurda' sabre  .<*  Who 
used  to  be  sought  for  drinking  bouts  }     Who  was 

*  The  sabres  and  daggers  prized  above  all  others  in  the  Cau- 
casus are  called  after  the  name  of  the  manufacturer,  Gurda.  — 
Author's  note. 


128  ^^^    COSSACA^S. 

sent  to  the  mountains  to  kill  Akhmet-Khan  ? 
Always  Yeroshka  !  Whom  did  the  girl  like  ? 
Always  and  forever  Yeroshka !  Because  I  was  a 
genuine  jigit.  Carouser,  thief,  skilful  in  driving 
the  herds  down  from  the  mountains  !  a  singer !  I 
could  turn  my  hand  to  anything.  To-day  there's 
nothing  like  me  among  the  Cossacks.  It  makes 
me  sick  to  see  them.  About  so  tall  (Yeroshaka 
raised  his  hand  a  yard  or  so  above  the  ground)  ; 
they  wear  fools'  boots,  and  if  they  can  get  any 
one  to  look  at  them  they  are  happy.  Or  if  they 
get  drunk,  they  feel  all  puffed  up ;  and  they 
don't  drink  like  men,  but  like  I  don't  know  what. 
But  who  was  I  .'*  I  was  Yeroshka,  the  thief ;  I 
was  better  known  in  the  mountains  than  in  the 
villages.  The  mountain  princes  came  to  see  me 
as  friends ;  I  vi^as  kunak '  with  them  all.  Tatar 
or  Armenian,  soldier  or  officer, — it  was  all  the 
same  to  me,  provided  only  he  could  drink.  '  You 
must  keep  yourself  from  contact  with  the  world 
in  general,'  says  he.  *  Drink  not  with  a  soldier ; 
eat  not  with  a  Tatar.'  " 

*'  Who  said  that  "i "  asked  Olyenin. 

"  Oh,  it  was  our  head  men.  But  listen  once  to 
a  Tatar  mulla  or  a  kadi.  He  will  say,  *  You  unbe- 
lieving giaours,  why  do  ye  eat  pork  ? '    That  means 

*  Guest-friend. 


THE   COSSACKS.  1 29 

every  one  has  his  own  customs.  But,  in  my  opin- 
ion, it's  all  one.  God  made  everything  for  man's 
enjoyment.  There's  no  sin  in  anything.  Now, 
just  take  the  wild  beast,  for  instance.  He  lives 
in  the  Tatar  reeds  and  in  ours.  Wherever  he 
goes  he  is  at  home.  Whatever  God  gives  he 
devours.  But  our  people  say  that  we  shall  lick 
the  frying-pan  for  that.  I  think  that  all  that  is 
false,"  he  added,  after  a  pause. 

"  What  is  false  t  " 

"Why,  what  the  head  men  say.  My  father, 
there  used  to  be  with  us  in  the  Cherovlenaya  an 
army  leader  —  he  was  my  kunak.  He  was  just 
the  same  sort  of  bravo  that  I  was.  He  was 
killed  on  the  Chechnya.  He  used  to  say  that 
the  priests  get  all  such  things  out  of  their  own 
heads.  *  You  will  die,'  he  used  to  say,  'and  the 
grass  will  grow  over  you,  and  that's  all  there  is  of 
it.'  "  (The  old  man  laughed.)  "  He  was  a  des- 
perate fellow." 

"  How  old  are  you  1 "  asked  Olyenin. 

"  Ah,  but  God  knows  that.  Must  be  about 
seventy.  We  had  a  tsaritsa  when  I  was  a  little 
lad.  Now,  you  can  reckon  it  up  how  much  that 
makes  me.     Must  be  about  seventy." 

"That's  so,  and  you're  still  a  bravo." 

"Well,   thank    God,     I'm    sound,     sound     all 


I30  THE   COSSACKS, 

through  ;  only  a  woman,  a  witch,  spoiled  it  all 
for  me.  ..." 

"  How  was  that }  " 

"Yes,  she  spoiled  it  so  that  .  .  .'* 

**  When  you  die  the  grass  will  grow  over  you  t  " 
asked  Olyenin,  repeating  his  words. 

Yeroshka  evidently  could  not  express  his 
thought  clearly.     He  was  silent  for  a  little. 

"  Well,  how  do  you  suppose  it  was  .•*  Drink  !  " 
he  cried,  smiling  and  filling  the  glass. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

"Let  us  see ;  what  were  we  talking  about?"  he 
went  on  to  say,  trying  to  collect  his  thoughts. 
"  This  is  the  kind  of  a  man  that  I  am.  I  am  a 
huntsman.  There's  no  one  to  be  compared  with 
me  in  the  whole  host.  I  will  find  and  show  you 
every  sort  of  animal,  every  kind  of  bird,  and  how 
and  where  —  I  know  it  all.  I  have  dogs  and  two 
fowling-pieces  and  nets  and  decoys  and  a  falcon  ; 
I  have  everything,  thank  the  Lord.  If  you  are  a 
real  huntsman  and  not  a  mere  boaster,  I  will 
show  you  all  about  it.  That's  the  kind  of  man 
that  I  am.  I  will  find  the  trail  of  a  wild  beast  —  I 
know  it  already.  I  know  where  he  comes  to  his 
lair  and  where  he  comes  to  drink  or  to  wallow.  I 
make  a  *  lopazik,'  ^  and  there  I  sit  and  watch  the 
whole  night  long ;  why  should  I  stay  at  home  } 
There  you  fall  into  sin,  you  get  drunk.  The 
women  are  always  buzzing  around  there,  belter 
skelter;  the  children  are  screeching.  You  are 
choked  with  charcoal  smoke.     It's  quite  another 

*  Lopazik  means  the  place  where  one  sits  in  waiting  on  a 
scaffolding  or  a  tree.  —  Author^s  note. 

131 


132 


THE   COSSACKS. 


thing  to  go  and  watch  ;  you  select  a  nice  little 
place,  you  stamp  down  the  rushes,  and  there  you 
sit  and  wait  —  good  fellow  that  you  are  !  And 
you  come  to  know  everything  that  takes  place  in 
the  woods.  You  look  at  the  sky.  The  stars  pass 
over;  you  follow  them  and  judge  what  time  of 
the  night  it  is.  You  gaze  around  you.  The  for- 
est stirs,  and,  as  you  wait,  you  hear  a  crashing  ; 
it's  a  boar  come  to  roll  in  the  mire !  You  hear 
the  young  eagles  scream,  or  the  roosters  in  the 
village  answering,  or  the  geese.  When  you  hear 
the  geese,  you  know  that  it's  midnight.  And  I 
know  all  about  such  things.  And  then  a  gun 
goes  off  somewhere  in  the  distance,  and  that  sets 
you  to  thinking.  You  ask  yourself,  '  Who  fired 
that }  Was  it  a  Cossack  like  me  }  Was  he  wait- 
ing for  a  wild  beast,  and  did  he  hit  him,  or  did  he 
merely  wound  him,  and  will  the  poor  thing  rush 
into  the  reeds  to  roll  in  his  blood,  and  all  for 
nothing }  I  don't  like  it,  okh !  I  don't  like  it ! 
Why  lame  a  poor  beast  t  Fool !  Fool ! '  Or  you 
say  to  yourself,  *  Can  it  be  that  an  abrek  has  shot 
some  stupid  little  Cossack  t '  All  these  thoughts 
go  through  your  head.  And  then  once  I  was 
watching  down  by  the  river,  and  I  saw  a  cradle 
floating  down  stream,  perfectly  whole,  only  the 
rim   a   little   injured.     Then   the   thought    came, 


THE   COSSACKS.  1 33 

*  Whose  cradle  is  that  ?  Some  of  your  devilish 
soldiers,'  I  say  to  myself,  *  must  have  been  at  a 
Chechen  aul,  carried  off  the  women,  and  some 
devil  killed  the  baby  :  catch  him  by  the  leg,  dash 
him  into  a  corner  !  That's  the  way  they  do  it, 
isn't  it  ?  Ekh  !  men  have  no  souls.'  When  such 
thoughts  came  to  me  I  felt  sorry.  I  say  to  my- 
self, *  The  cradle  thrown  away  and  the  mother 
carried  off  ;  the  house  burnt,  but  the  jigit  has  his 
gun,  and  he  will  come  over  to  our  side  to  plunder.' 
And  so  you'  sit  and  think.  And  then,  as  you  are 
listening,  a  little  drove  of  pigs  breaks  through  the 
thicket,  and  something  in  you  throbs  and  throbs. 

*  Come  on,  my  darlings  !  They  will  get  scent  of 
you,'  you  say  to  yourself,  and  you  sit  and  don't 
stir,  but  your  heart  goes,  '  Dun,  dun,  dun.'  Then 
they  come  into  sight.  This  very  spring  such  a 
splendid  drove  came  along,  making  a  black  line! 
'To  the  Father  and  the  Son  !  '  I  was  just  going 
to  shoot.  Then  the  old  mother  sow  sniffed  and 
called  to  her  little  pigs,  '  Children,  look  out ! 
there's  danger  ;  a  man  sits  there  on  the  watch ! ' 
and  the  whole  drove  rushed  off  into  the  bushes. 
And  so  vexatious  it  was,  when  you  felt  as  though 
you  were  already  biting  into  one  of  them  ! " 

"  How  did    the  sow  tell    her  little  pigs  that  a 
man  was  on  the  watch  }  "  asked  Olyenin. 


134 


THE   COSSACKS. 


"  And  how  do  you  suppose  ?  You  have  an 
idea  that  a  wild  beast  is  a  fool.  No,  he  is  wiser 
than  a  man,  even  though  he  bears  the  name  of 
pig.  He  knows  everything.  Take  this  for  exam- 
ple. A  man  comes  across  a  trail  and  does  not 
notice  it,  but  a  hog,  as  soon  as  he  stumbles  on 
your  track,  snuffs,  and  makes  off ;  that  means  that 
he's  got  sense  in  him  ;  he  knows  that  you  haven't 
sensed  him,  but  he  has  you.  And  that  is  equiva- 
lent to  saying,  *You  want  to  kill  him,  but  he 
prefers  to  go  wandering  about  the  forest  alive.' 
You  have  your  laws  and  he  has  his  as  well. 
He's  a  hog,  but,  for  all  that,  he's  no  worse  than 
you  are,  is  just  as  much  one  of  God's  creatures. 
Ekh  ma  !  Man  is  stupid,  stupid  !  man  is  stupid  !  " 
reiterated  the  old  huntsman,  and,  dropping  his 
head,  he  sank  into  thought. 

Olyenin  also  pondered,  and,  getting  up  from 
the  steps,  he  went  down  from  the  steps,  and 
began  silently  to  walk  up  and  down  the  yard,  with 
his  hands  behind  his  back.  Yeroshka  suddenly 
came  out  of  his  brown  study  and  raised  his  head 
and  began  attentively  to  look  at  the  moths,  which 
were  attracted  by  the  flickering  candle  flame  and 
falling  into  it. 

"Little  fool!  Fool!"  he  muttered.  ''Where 
did  you  fly  from  }    Fool  !    Fool !  "    He  got  up,  and, 


THE   COSSACKS. 


135 


with  his  huge  fingers,  began  to  drive  away  the 
moths.  "  You  will  burn  yourself,  you  little  fool  ; 
here,  fly  this  way,  there's  room  enough,"  he  said, 
in  his  affectionate  voice,  trying  to  lift  one  tenderly 
by  the  wings  in  his  clumsy  fingers,  and  to  let  it 
go.  "You  are  ruining  yourself,  and  I  am  sorry 
for  you." 

He  sat  there  long,  chattering  and  taking  an 
occasional  drink  from  the  bottle.  And  Olyenin 
walked  back  and  forth  through  the  yard.  Sud- 
denly his  attention  was  attracted  by  a  rustling  on 
the  other  side  of  the  fence.  Involuntarily  hold- 
ing his  breath,  he  caught  the  sound  of  a  woman's 
laugh,  a  man's  voice,  and  the  sound  of  kisses. 
Purposely  scuffling  his  feet  on  the  grass,  he  went 
across  to  the  other  side  of  the  yard.  In  a  short 
time  the  gate  creaked.  A  Cossack,  in  a  dark 
cherkeska  and  with  a  white  lambskin  cap,  went 
along  by  the  fence  (it  was  Luka),  and  a  tall 
woman  in  a  white  shawl  passed  by  Olyenin. 
Maryanka's  deliberate  pace  seemed  to  say,  **  I 
have  nothing  to  do  with  you  and  you  have  nothing 
to  do  with  me."  His  eyes  followed  her  to  the 
steps  of  the  Cossack  cottage  ;  through  the  win- 
dow he  saw  how  she  took  off  her  shawl  and  sat 
down  upon  the  bench.  And  suddenly  a  feeling  of 
painful  loneliness,  of  indefinite  longings  and  hopes. 


136  THE   COSSACKS. 

and  a  certain  degree  of  envy  toward  some  one 
took  hold  of  the  young  man's  soul. 

The  last  lights  were  extinguished  in  the  cot- 
tages. The  last  sounds  died  away  in  the  village. 
And  the  hedges  and  the  dim  forms  of  the  cattle 
in  the  yards,  and  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  and  the 
graceful  poplars,  everything  seemed  to  be  asleep 
with  the  healthy,  gentle  sleep  of  weariness.  Only 
the  constant  piping  of  the  frogs  came  to  the 
attentive  ear  from  the  distant  swamps.  In  the 
east  the  stars  were  less  abundant  and  seemed  to 
be  melting  away  in  the  advancing  light.  Over- 
head, however,  they  were  more  brilliant  than  ever 
and  more  abundantly  scattered.  The  old  Yer- 
oshka,  leaning  his  head  on  his  hand,  was  begin- 
ning to  doze.  A  cock  crowed  in  some  neighboring 
yard.  But  Olyenin  still  walked  up  and  down,  back 
and  forth,  busy  with  his  thoughts.  The  sound  of 
voices  singing  in  chorus  was  borne  to  his  ears. 
He  went  down  to  the  fence  and  listened.  Young 
Cossacks  were  trolling  a  gay  song,  and  one  young 
voice  was  plainly  distinguishable. 

"  Do  you  know  who  that  is  singing  }  "  asked 
the  old  man,  rousing  from  his  nap.  **  That's  the 
jigit  Lukashka.  He  has  killed  a  Chechenets. 
And  so  he's  having  a  spree.  But  is  that  any- 
thing to  rejoice  over  }     Fool,  fool ! " 


THE   COSSACKS. 


137 


"  But  you  have  killed  men  ? "  asked  Olyenin. 

The  old  man  suddenly  lifted  himself  on  both 
elbows  and  brought  his  face  close  to  Olyenin's. 
"  You  devil !  "  he  cried.  **  What  are  you  asking  ? 
It  must  not  be  spoken  of.  It  is  strange,  ol'h  ! 
strange  to  kill  a  human  being  !  Good  night,  my 
father  ;  I  am  full  and  contented,"  said  he,  getting 
up.     "  Shall  I  take  you  to  hunt  to-morrow  ? " 

"  Certainly." 

"  See  that  you  are  up  early,  for  if  you  oversleep 
you  will  get  punished  ! " 

"  Never  you  fear ;  I  shall  be  up  before  you 
are,"  replied  Olyenin. 

The  old  man  went  off.  The  song  had  ceased. 
Footsteps  and  merry  talking  were  heard.  After  a 
little  the  song  broke  forth  again,  but  farther  away 
and  Yeroshka's  big  voice  joined   the  other  voices. 

"  What  men  !  what  a  life ! "  thought  Olyenin, 
sighing ;  and  he  went  back  alone  to  his  cottage. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Uncle  Yeroshka  was  not  in  active  service,  and 
he  lived  alone.  Twenty  years  before,  his  wife  had 
deserted  him,  and,  after  being  baptized  into  the 
Orthodox  communion,  had  married  a  Russian 
quartermaster.  He  had  no  children.  It  was  no 
idle  boast  when  he  declared  that  in  old  times  he 
had  been  the  first  bravo  in  the  village.  Among 
all  the  Cossacks  he  was  famous  for  his  old-fash- 
ioned bravery.  The  death  of  more  than  one 
Chechenets  and  of  more  than  one  Russian  was  on 
his  soul.  He  used  to  make  forays  in  the  moun- 
tains, and  he  had  also  stolen  from  the  Russians, 
and  twice  he  had  been  put  in  the  guard-house. 
The  larger  part  of  his  life  had  been  spent  in  the 
woods,  hunting,  where  he  often  subsisted  for 
whole  days  on  a  crust  of  bread,  drinking  nothing 
but  water.  But,  when  he  came  back  to  the  vil- 
lage, he  made  up  for  it  by  tippling  from  morning 
till  night. 

After  he  went  home  from  Olyenin's,  he  slept 
for  a  couple  of  hours,  and  then,  waking  some 
time  before  daylight,  he  lay  on  his  bed  and  tried 

138 


THE   COSSACKS.  ly^ 

to  form  a  judgment  about  the  man  whose  acquaint- 
ance he  had  made  the  evening  before.  He  was 
much  pleased  with  Olyenin's  simplicity ^  but  he 
understood  by  simplicity  his  generosity  with  the 
wine.  And  Oleynin  himself  pleased  him.  He 
wondered  why  the  Russians  were  all  simple  and 
rich,  and  why  they  knew  nothing  at  all  and  yet 
were  all  so  learned.  He  thought  over  all  these 
questions  and  wondered  what  he  might  get  out  of 
Olyenin. 

Uncle  Yeroshka's  cottage  was  tolerably  large 
and  not  old,  but  the  absence  of  a  woman's  hand 
was  very  noticeable  in  it.  The  Cossacks  are 
usually  very  scrupulous  about  neatness,  but  his 
whole  apartment,  on  the  contrary,  was  filthy  and 
in  the  greatest  disorder.  On  the  table  were  flung 
his  blood-stained  coat,  a  half  of  a  milk  cake,  and 
next  to  it  a  plucked  and  torn  jackdaw.  Scattered 
about  on  the  benches  lay  h\s  porshjii,  a  gun,  a  dag- 
ger, a  bag,  wet  garments,  and  rags.  In  the  corner, 
in  a  tub  full  of  dirty,  ill-smelling  water,  another 
pair  of  porshni  were  soaking ;  there  also  stood  a 
carbine  and  a  pheasant-lure.  On  the  dirty  floor 
were  thrown  a  net  and* a  few  dead  pheasants,  and 
a  hen  wandered  about  pecking,  with  its  leg  fastened 
to  the  table  leg.  In  the  cold  oven  stood  a  potsherd, 
filled  with  some  sort  of  milk-like  liquid.     On  the 


I^O  ^^^^   COSSACKS. 

oven  screamed  a  falcon,  trying  to  tear  itself 
away  from  its  cord,  and  on  the  edge  quietly  sat  a 
moulting  hawk,  looking  askance  at  the  chicken 
and  occasionally  tipping  his  head  to  one  side  or 
the  other. 

Uncle  Yeroshka  himself,  in  a  single  shirt,  lay 
on  his  back  on  his  short  bed,  placed  between  the 
wall  and  the  oven,  so  that  he  could  brace  his 
solid  legs  on  the  latter,  and  he  was  engaged  in 
picking  with  his  clumsy  fingers  the  scabs  on  the 
scratches  made  on  his  hands  by  the  hawk,  which 
he  had  carried  without  gloves.  The  air  of  the 
whole  room,  and  especially  the  corner  where  the 
old  man  lay,  was  filled  with  that  strong  but  not 
disagreeable  conglomeration  of  odors  which  the 
old  man  carried  about  him. 

"  Uidye-ma,  dyddya } "  (that  is,  "  Are  you  at  home, 
uncle  } ")  he  heard  a  clear  voice  saying  through 
the  window,  and  he  instantly  recognized  it  as  the 
voice  of  his  neighbor  Lukashka. 

'*  Uidye,  tiidye,  uidye.  Yes,  come  in,"  cried  the 
old  man.  *'  Neighbor  Marka,  Luka  Marka,  have 
you  come  to  see  your  uncle.?  On  your  way  to 
the  cordon  }  " 

The  hawk  was  alarmed  at  the  voices,  shook  its 
wings,  and  tugged  at  its  leash. 

The  old  man  was  fond  of  Lukashka;  he   was 


THE   COSSACKS.  I4I 

almost  the  only  one  whom  he  excepted  from  the 
general  contempt  in  which  he  held  all  the  younger 
generation  of  Cossacks,  Moreover,  Lukashka 
and  his  mother,  who  were  neighbors  of  his,  often 
gave  him  wine,  curds,  and  other  things  from  their 
larder,  such  as  Yeroshka  did  not  have.  Uncle 
Yeroshka,  who  all  his  life  long  had  followed  his 
own  inclinations,  always  explained  his  impulses  in 
the  most  practical  way.  "  Well,  why  not } "  he 
would  reason  with  himself.  "  They  are  well-to-do. 
I  will  bring  them  fresh  pork  or  a  fowl  and  they 
will  not  forget  their  uncle.  A  pie  or  milk  cake 
they  will  give  me  occasionally." 

"  How  are  you,  Marka  }  Glad  to  see  you  !  " 
merrily  shouted  the  old  man,  and,  with  a  quick 
motion,  set  down  his  bare  feet  from  the  bed, 
leaped  up,  took  a  step  or  two  over  the  creaking 
floor,  glanced  at  his  legs,  and  suddenly  something 
seemed  to  amuse  him  in  the  sight  of  his  crooked 
legs,  so  that  he  burst  into  a  laugh,  stamped  with 
his  bare  toes  once  and  then  again,  and  made  a 
shuffle.  "  Some  skill,  hey  ? "  he  demanded,  mak- 
ing his  little  eyes  flash. 

Lukashka  barely  smiled. 

**  Well,  are  you  on  your  way  to  the  cordon  t " 

"  I've  brought  you  the  red  wine,  uncle,  which  I 
promised  you." 


142 


THE   COSSACKS. 


*'  Christ  be  your  salvation  !  "  replied  the  old 
man ;  he  picked  up  his  leggings  and  beshmet 
from  the  floor,  put  them  on,  tightened  his  belt, 
poured  a  little  water  from  a  crock  over  his  hands, 
rubbed  them  on  his  old  leggings,  ran  a  piece  of  a 
comb  through  his  beard,  and  then  presented  him- 
self before  Lukashka. 

"All  ready!"  said  he. 

Lukashka  got  a  dipper,  wiped  it,  filled  it  with 
wine,  and,  setting  it  on  a  stool,  brought  it  to  the 
old  man. 

"  Here's  to  your  health  !  To  the  Father  apd 
the  Son  !  "  said  Uncle  Yeroshka,  taking  the  wine 
with  triumphal  solemnity.  "  May  all  your  wishes 
be  realized  !  may  you  be  a  bravo  !  may  you  get 
your  cross  ! " 

Lukashka  also  drank,  using  the  same  solemn 
formula,  and  set  the  wine  on  the  table.  The  old 
man  got  up,  fetched  a  dried  fish,  laid  it  on  the 
threshold,  beat  it  with  a  switch,  so  as  to  soften 
it,  and  then,  taking  it  in  his  shrivelled  hands, 
put  it  in  his  one  blue  plate,  and  set  it  on  the 
table. 

"  I  always  have  something  for  a  bite,  thank 
God  !"  he  exclaimed  proudly.  "Well,  how  about 
Mosyef  .<*  "  he  asked,  changing  the  subject. 

Lukashka    told    him    how    the    sergeant    had 


THE   COSSACKS.  I^o 

taken  the  gun  from  him,  and  evidently  wanted  the 
old  man's  opinion. 

"  Don't  stand  on  the  matter  of  the  gun ;  if  you 
don't  give  it  up,  you  won't  get  your  reward." 

'*  Yes,  but  what  difference  does  that  make, 
uncle  ?  They  will  say,  *  What  reward  should  we 
give  to  a  green  lad? '  '  But  the  gun  was  splen- 
did, a  Crimean  one,  worth  seventy-eight  rubles." 

**  Eh  !  let  it  go  !  I  had  such  a  quarrel  once 
with  a  captain  ;  he  asked  me  for  my  horse. 
*  Give  me  your  horse,'  says  he,  *  and  I  will  make 
you  an  ensign.'  I  didn't  let  him  have  it,  and  so 
got  nothing  myself." 

"  But  see  here,  uncle,  I  must  buy  me  a  horse, 
and  they  say  that  I  can't  get  one  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river  for  less  than  fifty  silver  rubles.  And 
mother  hasn't  sold  the  wine  yet." 

"  Ekh  !  we  didn't  lay  it  to  heart,"  exclaimed 
the  old  man.  **  When  Uncle  Yeroshka  was  your 
age  he  had  already  got  a  whole  herd  from  the 
Nogar  and  driven  them  across^  the  Terek.  I'd 
always  sell  a  good  horse  for  three  pints  of  vodka 
or  for  a  felt  cloak." 

"  What  made  you  sell  so  cheap  } " 

"  Fool,  fool !  Marka  !  "  exclaimed  the  old  man, 

*  Green  lad  :  malolyetka  means  a  Cossack  not  yet  enrolled  in 
the  cavalry  service.  —  Author's  note. 


44 


THE   COSSACKS. 


contemptuously.  "  You  could't  help  it ;  what 
made  you  steal  horses  unless  to  keep  from  grow- 
ing stingy !  But  I  reckon  you  never  have  seen 
how  we  steal  horses.     Why  don't  you  speak  t  " 

"  What  should  I  say,  uncle  ? "  exclaimed  Lukash- 
ka.  "  It  seems  that  we  aren't  such  men  as  you 
were." 

"  Fool !  fool !  Marka  !  Not  such  men  !  "  re- 
joined the  old  man,  mimicking  the  young  Cos- 
sack. *'  No,  no  such  Cossack  was  I  when  I  was 
of  your  age  !  " 

"  But  how  was  it }  "  asked  Lukashka. 

The  old  man  contemptuously  shook  his  head. 

'*  Uncle  Yeroshka  was  simple  ;  he  wasted  no 
time  in  regrets.  And  that  was  the  reason  all  the 
Chechnya  was  *  hail  fellow  well  met '  with  me. 
If  any  of  my  kunaki  came  to  see  me,  we  got 
drunk  together  on  vodka  ;  I'd  make  him  happy, 
I'd  give  him  a  place  to  sleep,  and,  when  I  took 
him  home,  he'd  give  me  always  a  gift  :  peskkeshy 
they  called  it.  That's  the  way  men  do,  but  it's 
all  different  now  ;  it's  only  childish  fun,  cracking 
seeds  and  spitting  out  the  shells ! "  said  the  old 
man,  scornfully,  in  conclusion,  imitating  the  way 
the  Cossacks  of  the  present  day  crunch  melon 
seeds  and  spit  out  the  shells. 

*'  Yes,  I  know  it ;  that's  so,"  said  Lukashka. 


THE  COSSACKS. 


145 


"Yon  want  to  be  a  bravo  ;  then  be  a  jigit  and 
not  a  muzhik  !  The  peasant  buys  horses  ;  throw 
away  your  money  and  get  a  horse  !  " 

They  were  both  silent. 

**  But  it  is  so  dull,  uncle,  in  the  village  or  at  the 
cordon  ;  you  can't  go  anywhere  to  have  some 
sport.  The  whole  people  are  timid !  Take 
Nazar  for  example.  The  other  day  we  were  at  an 
aul.  GireY-Khan  invited  us  to  go  with  him  to  the 
NogaY  after  horses ;  but  no  one  would  go,  and 
how  could  I  go  alone  } " 

*'  But  here's  your  uncle  :  what's  he  for  }  Do 
you  think  that  I  am  dead  wood  .-*  No,  I  am  not 
dried  up  !  Give  me  a  horse  and  I  will  ride  off 
to  the  NogaY." 

"  Why  this  idle  talk  .?  "  exclaimed  Luka.  "  Tell 
me  how  to  act  with  Girei'-Khan.  He  says,  *  Only 
just  bring  one  horse  down  to  the  Terek  and  if 
you  go  with  me  you  shall  have  a  whole  stud  ! ' 
He's  so  wily-looking  it's  hard  to  have  any  con- 
fidence in  him." 

"  You  can  trust  Gir^Y-Khan  ;  all  his  family  are 
good  men  ;  his  father  was  a  faithful  kunak  of 
mine.  Only  heed  your  uncle,  I  won't  give  you 
any  bad  advice  :  make  him  take  an  oath,  then 
you  can  trust  him  ;  but  if  you  go  off  with  him, 
have  your  pistol  ready,  especially  when  you  come 


146  THE  COSSACKS. 

to  divide  the  horses.  Once  a  'Chechenets  came 
within  an  ace  of  killing  me  :  I  asked  him  ten 
rubles  for  a  horse.  Trust  him  certainly ;  but 
don't  go  to  sleep  without  your  gun ! " 

Lukashka  listened  attentively  to  what  the  old 
man  said. 

"  Well,  uncle,  they  say  you  have  a  magic  herb. 
Is  that  so  ? "  asked  the  young  Cossack,  after  a 
pause. 

"  No  such  thing,  but  I  will  teach  you  how  to 
get  one  ;  you're  a  fine  young  fellow,  won't  for- 
get your  uncle.     Shall  I  tell  you  ?  '* 

'*  Tell  me,  uncle  !  " 

"  You  know  what  a  tortoise  is  }  Well,  she's  a 
devil,  the  tortoise  is  !  " 

**  Of  course  I  know  what  a  tortoise  is  !  " 

"  Well,  then,  find  her  nest  and  plait  a  little 
hedge  around  it  so  that  she  can't  get  through 
it.  Then  she  will  come,  will  go  round  it  and 
then  back  again  ;  then  she  will  find  the  magic 
herb,  will  bring  it  and  will  break  the  hedge. 
Then  you  must  go  the  next  morning  and  look 
round  :  where  it  was  broken  you'll  find  your 
magic  herb  lying.  Take  it  and  carry  it  wher- 
ever you  please.  No  lock  and  no  wall  can  keep 
you  !  " 

"  Did  you  ever  try  it,  uncle  ?  " 


THE   COSSACKS.  1 47 

"  No,  never  tried  it  myself,  but  good  people  say 
so.  I  only  used  to  have  a  charm  beginning  '  all 
hail,'  which  I  used  to  repeat  when  I  mounted  my 
horse.     No  one  ever  killed  me  !  " 

"  What  was  this  *  all  hail '  charm,  uncle  1 " 
"  Is  it  possible  you  don't  know  it  t  Ekh  !  what 
people  !     Only  ask  your  uncle  !     Now,  listen  and 
repeat  it  after  me  :  — 

"  *  ZdravstTmitya  zhivtuhi  v  Sioni. 
Se  tsar  tvot. 
Mm  syadem  na  koni. 
Sofoniye  vopiye. 
Zakhariye  glagolye. 
Otche  Mandruiche. 
Chelovyiko-vyeko-liubche^  "  * 

"  Vyeko-vy^ko-liubche,"  repeated  the  old  man. 
"  Do  you  get  it.     Well,  then,  repeat  it !  " 

Lukashka  laughed. 

"Do  you  mean  to  say,  uncle,  that  that's  the 
reason  they  didn't  kill  you  }     Is  it  possible  }  " 

"  Oh,  you've  cut  your  wisdom  teeth  !  You  just 
learn  it  and  always  repeat  it.  It  won't  do  any 
harm.  Well,  now,  then,  sing  *  Mandriche  *  and  get 
along  all  right,"  and  the  old  man  himself  laughed. 
"  But  don't  go  to  the  NogaY,  Luka ;  don't  go,  that's 
what  I  say." 

*  "  All  hail,  ye  inhabitants  of  Zion.  Behold  your  tsar.  We 
sit  on  horseback.  The  cries  of  Sophonius.  The  words  of  Zak- 
har.     Father  Mandriche.     The  lover-over  of  man." 


148  THE   COSSACKS. 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"  It  isn't  the  time,  and  you  aren't  the  people. 
You  Cossacks  are  regular  muckers.  Then,  be- 
sides, they  have  brought  the  Russians  here.  They 
would  bring  you  into  court.  Truly,  give  it  up. 
What  do  you  want  1  Once  Girchik  and  I  .  .  ." 
and  the  old  man  went  on  to  tell  one  of  his  never 
ending  stories.  But  Lukashka  glanced  out  of  the 
window. 

"  It's  broad  daylight,  uncle,"  he  exclaimed,  in- 
terrupting him.  "  I  must  go  ;  come  and  see  us 
sometime  !*" 

"  Christ  save  us  !  I  must  go  to  the  army  man  ; 
I  promised  to  take  him  out  hunting.  He  seems 
like  a  fine  fellow." 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

From  Yeroshka's  Lukashka  went  home.  As 
he  walked  along,  a  damp  misty  vapor  was  rising 
from  the  ground  and  enveloping  the  whole  village. 
The  cattle,  unseen,  began  to  stir  in  the  various 
yards.  The  cocks  crowed  noisily  and  more  fre- 
quently. It  grew  lighter  and  the  people  were 
beginning  to  arise.  As  he  came  nearer,  Lu- 
kashka saw  the  hedge  of  his  own  yard,  wet  with 
mist,  and  the  steps  leading  up  to  the  cottage, 
and  the  open  gate.  The  sound  of  some  one 
splitting  wood  was  heard  in  the  yard.  Lukashka 
went  into  the  cottage.  His  mother  was  already 
up  and  was  standing  in  front  of  the  oven,  throw- 
ing kindling  into  it.  His  little  sister  was  still 
asleep. 

"  Well,  Lukasha,  are  you  through  with  your 
spree  ? "  asked  his  mother,  gently.  "  Where 
were  you  last  night }  " 

**  I  was  in  the  village,"  replied  Lukashka,  reluc- 
tantly, while  he  took  his  carbine  out  of  its  case 
and  examined  it. 

149 


ISO 


THE   COSSACKS. 


The  mother  shook  her  head. 

After  putting  some  powder  on  the  pan,  Lukashka 
got  down  a  pouch,  took  out  a  number  of  empty 
shells,  and  began  to  fill  cartridges,  carefully  ram- 
ming down  the  bullet  wrapped  in  a  rag.  If  there 
happened  to  be  too  much,  he  bit  it  off  with  his 
teeth,  and,  after,  examining  his  work,  put  up  the 
pouch. 

"  Well,  matushka,  I  told  you  to  mend  my  bag ; 
have  you  done  it  .-* "  said  he. 

"I  reckon  so.  The  dumb  girl  was  mending 
something  last  evening.  But  must  you  go  right 
back  to  the  cordon  t  I  have  scarcely  seen  you 
at  all." 

"Well,  I've  only  just  come,  but  I  must  go 
back,"  replied  Lukashka,  tying  up  his  powder. 
"  Where  is  the  dumb  girl  1  Has  she  gone 
out.?'' 

"Certainly;  she's  splitting  wood.  She  has 
been  greatly  distressed  about  you.  *  Here,  I  shall 
not  have  a  chance  to  see  him  at  all,'  she  said.- 
Then  she  pointed  with  her  hand  to  her  face, 
clucked  her  tongue,  and  then  pressed  her  hand 
against  her  heart  ;  it  was  touching  to  see,  indeed 
it  was.  Shall  I  go  and  fetch  her,  hey }  And 
she  understood  all  about  the  abrek." 

"Fetch  her,"  said   Lukashka.     "I   must  have 


THE   COSSACKS. 


151 


some  tallow  there  with  me ;  bring  me  some.  I 
want  to  grease  my  sabre.'* 

The  old  woman  went  out  and  in  a  few  minutes 
came  Lukashka's  deaf  and  dumb  sister  *over  the 
creaking  steps  into  the  cottage.  She  was  six 
years  his  elder  and  would  have  borne  a  remarka- 
ble resemblance  to  him,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
stupid  and  coarsely  stolid  expression  of  face 
characteristic  of  the  deaf  and  dumb.  Her  dress 
consisted  of  a  coarse,  patched  shirt ;  her  feet 
were  bare  and  dirty ;  she  wore  an  old  blue  ker- 
chief on  her  head.  Her  neck,  hands,  and  face 
were  as  muscular  as  a  man's.  By  her  dress  and 
all  it  was  evident  that  she  had  always  been  used 
to  hard  manual  labor.  She  lugged  an  armful  of 
wood  and  threw  it  down  by  the  oven.  Then  she 
went  to  her  brother  with  a  smile  of  joy,  which 
wrinkled  up  her  whole  face,  patted  him  on  the 
shoulder,  and  began,  with  her  hands,  her  face,  and 
all  her  body,  to  make  him  rapid  signs. 

"Good,  good  !  Fine  girl,  Stepka  !  "  replied  the 
brother,  nodding  his  head.  "You  have  done 
finely  ;  you  have  mended  it  well.  Here  is  some- 
thing for  you."  He  drew  out  of  his  pocket  two 
pieces  of  gingerbread  and  gave  them  to  her. 

Stepka's  face  flushed  and  she  made  a  strange, 
wild   noise   expressive   of   her  joy.     Seizing   the 


152  THE   COSSACKS. 

gingerbread,  she  again  began  to  make  signs,  even 
more  rapidly  than  before,  pointing  frequently  in 
one  direction  and  drawing  her  stout  finger  over 
her  brows  and  face.  Lukashka  understood  what 
she  meant  and  kept  nodding  his  head,  with  a 
slight  smile.  She  meant  that  her  brother  gave 
the  girls  good  things  to  eat  ;  she  meant  that  the 
girls  all  liked  him,  and  that  one  girl  —  Maryanka 
—  was  better  than  the  rest,  and  that  she  loved 
him.  She  indicated  Maryanka  by  pointing 
quickly  in  the  direction  of  her  house,  then  to 
her  eyebrows  and  her  face,  smacking  her  lips  and 
shaking  her  head.  She  signified  **  love "  by 
pressing  her  hand  to  her  bosom,  kissing  her  hand, 
and  pretending  to  hug  some  one.  The  mother 
came  back  into  the  room,  and,  perceiving  what 
the  dumb  girl  was  trying  to  talk  about,  smiled  and 
shook  her  head.  Stepka  showed  her  the  ginger- 
bread, and  again  she  squealed  with  joy. 

"  I  had  a  talk  with  Dame  Ulitka  the  other  day ; 
I  told  her  I  was  going  to  send  the  match-makers," 
said  the  mother.  "  She  took  my  suggestion  very 
kindly." 

Lukashka  looked  at  his  mother  without  speak- 
ing. 

*'  Well,  matushka,  you  must  sell  the  wine ;  I 
need  a  horse." 


THE  COSSACKS.  1 53 

"  I  will  dispose  of  it  when  the  time  comes  ;  I 
am  mending  the  casks,"  said  the  mother,  evidently- 
resenting  it  that  her  son  meddled  with  her  domes- 
tic arrangements.  **  When  you  go  away,"  she 
went  on  to  say,  "  then  take  the  bag  that's  in  the 
entry.  I  have  borrowed  of  friends,  and  looked 
out  for  your  well-being  at  the  cordon.  Will  you 
put  it  in  your  sakvui  ?  "  ' 

"That's  first-rate,"  rejoined  Lukashka.  "Now, 
if  Girei-Khan  should  come  across  the  river,  send 
him  to  the  *  post,'  since  they  won't  give  me  leave 
of  absence  for  a  long  time  to  come.  I  have  some 
business  with  him." 

"  I  will  send  him,  Lukashka,  I  will  send  him. 
What  makes  you  always  waste  your  time  at 
Yamka's  }  "  asked  the  old  mother.  "  Last  night, 
when  I  got  up  to  go  out  to  the  cattle,  I  listened, 
and  I  thought  I  heard  your  voice  singing  a 
song." 

Lukashka  made  no  reply.  He  went  into  the 
entry,  threw  the  saddle-bags  over  his  shoulder, 
flung  his  coat  over  them,  took  his  gun,  and  paused 
on  the  threshold. 

"  Good-bye,  matushka,"  said  he  to  his  mother, 
as  he  closed  the  gate  behind  him.     "  Send  a  little 

*  Sakvui  means  the  double  sack,  or  bag,  which  the  Cossacks 
carry  behind  their  saddles.  —  Author^ s  note. 


154  THE   COSSACKS. 

cask  by  Nazarka ;  I  promised  some  to  the  boys. 
He  will  come  after  it." 

"  Christ  save  you,  Lukashka !  God  be  with 
you  !  I  will  send  it  ;  I  will  send  Some  from  the 
new  cask,"  replied  the  old  mother,  coming  down 
to  the  hedge.  "  Oh,  here's  something  I  want  to 
say  to  you,"  she  added,  leaning  over  the  hedge. 

The  Cossack  paused. 

"  You  have  had  your  spree  here.  Well,  glory  to 
God  !  Why  shouldn't  a  young  man  enjoy  him- 
self }  For  it  was  God  himself  who  gave  you 
good  luck.  That  is  good.  But  still  just  see  here, 
my  dear  son,  don't,  above  all,  carry  it  to  excess  ; 
•  be  obedient  to  your  superior  officer — -one  must! 
And  I  will  send  the  wine  and  I  will  get  you 
money  enough  for  a  horse  and  I  will  have  the  girl 
betrothed  to  you." 

"Very  good  !  "  replied  the  son,  scowling. 

The  dumb  girl  made  a  noise  to  attract  his 
attention.  She  pointed  to  her  head  and  her 
hand;  that  meant,  " shaven  head — Chechenets." 
Then,  puckering  up  her  eyebrows,  she  made 
believe  aim  with  a  gun,  squealed,  and  ended  in  a 
queer  noise,  shaking  her  head. 

She  was  telling  Lukashka  to  kill  more  Circas- 
sians. Lukashka  understood  her,  smiled,  and, 
with  quick,  light  steps,  and  carrying  his   musket 


THE  COSSACKS.  1 55 

behind  his  back,  under  his  felt,  disappeared  in  the 
thick  mist. 

After  standing  silently  for  a  moment  at  the 
door  sill,  the  old  mother  went  to  her  dairy  and 
forthwith  began  her  daily  toil. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

LuKASHKA  Started  back  to  the  cordon,  and 
Uncle  Yeroshka  at  the  same  time  whistled  to  his 
dogs,  and,  crawling  through  the  hedge,  went  by 
the  back  way  to  Olyenin's  lodgings.  When  he 
was  going  on  a  hunting  expedition  he  disliked  to 
meet  women.  Olyenin  was  still  asleep  and  Van- 
yusha,  who  had  waked  up,  was  still  lying  in  bed, 
looking  around  and  wondering  if  it  were  time  or 
not,  when  Uncle  Yeroshka,  with  his  gun  slung 
behind  his  back  and  with  his  hunting  apparatus, 
opened  the  door. 

"  A  switch  !  A  cane  ! "  he  cried,  in  his  bluff 
voice.  **  To  arms  !  The  Chechens  have  come ! 
—  Ivan  !  Put  on  the  samovar  for  your  master ! 
And  get  up  !  Lively  !  "  he  cried.  "  That's  the 
way  it  is  with  us,  my  good  man  !  Even  the  girls 
are  up  by  this  time.  Look,  look  out  of  the  win- 
dow there  ;  she's  going  after  water,  and  here  you 
are  asleep ! " 

Olyenin  woke  up  and  leaped  out  of  bed.  And 
how  pleasant  and  jolly  it  was  to  see  the  old  man 
and  to  hear  his  voice  ! 

156 


THE   COSSACKS. 


157 


"  Lively  !  lively  there,  Vanyusha  !  "  he  cried. 

"  And  this  is  the  way  you  go  hunting  !  People 
have  had  their  breakfast,  but  you  are  asleep ! 
Lyam  !  where  are  you  ? "  he  shouted  to  the  dog. 

"  Is  your  gun  all  ready  "i  Hey  }  "  screamed  the 
old  man,  making  as  much  noise  as  if  a  whole 
troop  were  in  the  cottage. 

"  Well,  I  am  to  blame  for  not  having  done  a 
single  thing.  Powder,  Vanyusha!  and  the  gun- 
wads  ! "  exclaimed  Olyenin. 

"A  fine  !  "  cried  the  old  man. 

^^  Du  t^  voulevoii  f ''  asked  Vanyusha,  laughing. 

*'  You  aren't  one  of  us ;  you  don't  talk  in  our 
language,  you  devil ! "  cried  the  old  man,  showing 
the  roots  of  his  teeth  at  Vanyusha. 

"This  is  the  first  offence;  you  must  let  me  off," 
laughed  Olyenin,  as  he  drew  on  his  great  boots. 

"Excused  the  first  time,"  replied  Yeroshka, 
"  but,  if  you  sleep  late  a  second  time,  you  will 
have  to  pay  a  fine  of  a  gallon  of  red  wine.  After 
the  heat  of  the  day  begins,  you  won't  see  any 
more  stags." 

"  And  if  you  find  one,  even  then  he  will  be 
wiser  than  we  men,  I  suppose,"  said  Olyenin, 
quoting  the  old  man's  words  of  the  evening 
before.     "  You  won't  get  him  by  trickery." 

"  Oh,  you're  laughing  at  me.     Kill  one  first  and 


158  THE   COSSACKS. 

then  talk !  Now,  lively !  Ah,  see  there !  the 
master  of  the  house  is  coming  to  see  you,"  said 
Yeroshka,  looking  out  of  the  window.  "Ah,  see  ! 
he's  all  dressed  up,  got  on  a  new  zipun,  so  as  to 
show  you  that  he  is  an  officer  !  Ekh  !  what  a 
people  !  what  a  people  !  " 

At  that  moment  Vanyusha  came  to  report  to 
his  master  that  the  ensign  wanted  to  see  him. 

"  L'arzhan  ! "  said  he,  significantly,  preparing 
Olyenin  for  the  object  of  the  ensign's  visit.  A 
moment  after,  the  ensign  himself,  in  a  new 
cherkeska  with  an  officer's  shoulder-straps  and 
in  polished  boots,  —  a  rare  thing  among  the  Cos- 
sacks,—  came  into  the  room,  smiling  and  swag- 
gering, and  offered  them  the  salutations  of  the 
day. 

Ilya  Vasflyevitch,  the  ensign,  was  a  cultivated 
Cossack ;  that  is,  he  had  been  in  Russia,  was  a 
school-teacher,  and,  above  all,  was  aristocratic. 
He  was  anxious  to  seem  an  aristocrat ;  but  it 
was  impossible  to  avoid  the  conclusion  that, 
under  the  fictitious  guise  of  his  clumsy  polish, 
his  uneasy  self-assurance,  and  his  coarse  speech, 
he  felt  himself  just  the  same  as  Uncle  Yeroshka. 
It  was  evident,  alike,  in  his  sunburned  face  and 
his  hands  and  his  red  nose. 

Olyenin  begged  the  ensign  to  be  seated.     He 


THE   COSSACKS.  I^g 

was  a  lean,  slender,  handsome  man,  forty  years 
of  age,  with  a  gray,  wedge-shaped  beard,  and  yet 
very  hearty  for  his  forty  years.  As  he  came 
into  Olyenin's  presence  he  was  evidently  ap- 
prehensive lest  he  should  be  mistaken  for  an 
ordinary  Cossack,  and  was  anxious  to  make  his 
importance  instantly  appreciated. 

"  Good  morning,  Ilya  Vasilyevitch,"  said  Ye- 
roshka,  standing  up  and  making  what  seemed 
to  Olyenin  an  ironically  low  bow. 

"  How  are  you,  uncle  t  You  here  already } " 
replied  the  ensign,  giving  him  a  careless  nod. 
"  This  is  our  Egyptian  Nimrod,"  he  went  on 
to  say,  turning  to  Olyenin  with  a  self-satisfied 
smile  and  pointing  to  the  old  man.  "^  mighty 
hunter  before  the  Lord.  The  first  among  us  in 
everything.  Have  you  got  acquainted  with  him 
already } " 

Uncle  Yeroshka,  looking  at  his  leg  wrapped 
up  in  wet  porshni,  thoughtfully  shook  his  head, 
as  though  in  amazement  at  the  ensign's  shrewd- 
ness and  learning,  and  repeated  to  himself : 
^^  ^  Gipshn  Niinvrod'  —  what  does  he  mean  by 
that  ? " 

"  Well,  we  are  going  off  hunting,"  said  Olyenin. 

**  That's  very  good,"  observed  the  ensign,  **  but 
I  have  a  little  business  with  you." 


l6o  THE   COSSACKS. 

*'  What  is  your  pleasure?  " 

*'  As  you  are  a  nobleman,"  the  ensign  began, 
"  and,  as  I  am  able  to  understand  it,  we  both 
have  the  rank  of  officer,  and  therefore  we  can 
gradually  and  always  treat  each  other  as  noble- 
men." (He  paused  and  glanced,  with  a  smile, 
at  the  old  man  and  the  officer.)  "  Now,  if  you 
would  only  be  good  enough  to  talk  things  over 
with  me,  —  for  my  wife  is  a  little  dull  of  com- 
prehension and  she  could  not  quite  make  out 
at  present  what  your  words  of  yesterday's  date 
meant.  Because  I  could  easily  let  my  lodgings, 
without  stable,  for  six  silver  rubles  to  the  adju- 
tant of  the  regiment ;  but,  as  a  man  of  aristo- 
cratic birth,  I  can't  think  of  such  a  thing  as 
moving  permanently  out  of  my  rooms.  And, 
since  you  were  very  anxious  about  it,  then,  as 
a  man  having  myself  the  rank  of  officer,  I  could 
very  easily  have  a  personal  talk  with  you  and 
come  to  some  agreement,  and,  as  a  native  of 
this  district,  though  it  is  not  in  accordance  with 
our  usual  custom,  but  still  in  all  respects  I  can 
comply  with  the  conditions  .  .  ." 

"  Very  clearly  expressed,"  muttered  the  old 
man. 

The  ensign  went  on  for  some  time  to  speak  in 
the  same  strain.     Olyenin  not  without  some  diffi- 


THE  COSSACKS.  l6l 

culty  was  able  to  make  out  of  it  all  that  the 
ensign  was  anxious  to  obtain  six  silver  rubles  a 
month  for  his  lodgings.  He  complied  with  his 
desire  and  begged  his  guest  to  take  a  glass  of 
tea.     The  ensign  declined. 

**  According  to  our  stupid  customs,"  he  says, 
"we  consider  it  a  sin  to  use  a  worldly  glass. 
Now,  though  I,  owing  to  my  having  had  some 
culture,  might  be  able  to  understand  this,  yet 
my  wife,  owing  to  human  weakness  .  .  .'* 

"  Well,  will  you  send  for  some  tea  t " 

*'  If.  you  will  permit  me,  I  will  bring  my  own 
glass,  my  special  one  t "  replied  the  ensign,  and 
he  went  to  the  steps.  "  My  glass,  bring  my 
glass,"  he  cried. 

In  a  few  moments  the  door  opened  and  a 
sunburned  young  arm  in  a  pink  sleeve  held  the 
glass  into  the  room.  The  ensign  went  to  the 
door,  took  the  glass,  and  whispered  a  word  or 
two  to  his  daughter.  Olyenin  filled  his  visitor's 
special  glass ;  Yeroshka  drank  out  of  the  worldly 
one. 

"  However,  I  do  not  wish  to  detain  you,"  said 
the  ensign,  making  haste  to  drain  the  glass,  and 
burning  his  lips.  "  I  have  a  great  fondness  for 
fishing  and  I  am  here  just  for  a  little,  as  a  sort 
of  vacation  from  my  duties.     So  I  have  a  sort  of 


1 62  ^^^   COSSACA^S, 

desire  to  try  my  luck  and  see  if  some  of  the 
Terek's  gifts  will  not  fall  to  my  lot.  I  hope 
that  you  will  come  and  visit  me  some  time  and 
drink  a  *  brotherly  cup,'  as  we  Cossacks  call  it," 
he  added. 

Then  he  made  a  low  bow,  pressed  Olyenin's 
hand,  and  went  out. 

While  the  young  officer  was  getting  ready,  he 
heard  the  ensign's  imperative  voice  giving  direc- 
tions to  his  family.  Then,  in  a  few  minutes, 
Olyenin  saw  him  dressed  in  trousers  rolled  up  to 
the  knees,  and  in  a  ragged  beshmet,  go  past  the 
window,  with  his  net  on  his  shoulder. 

"  The  cheat !  "  exclaimed  Uncle  Yeroshka, 
drinking  his  tea  from  the  ivorldly  glass.  "  Tell 
me,  are  you  going  to  pay  six  silver  rubles  }  Who 
ever  heard  of  such  a  thing }  You  can  get  the  best 
room  in  the  village  for  two  moneta.  The  rascal ! 
Why,  I'll  give  you  mine  for  three." 

"  No,  I'll  stay  here  where  I  am,"  said  Olyenin. 

"  Six  silver  rubles !  what  a  foolish  waste  of 
money  !  E-ekh  !  "  grunted  the  old  man.  **  Give 
me  some  wine,  Ivan  !  "  - 

After  they  had  taken  a  bite  of  breakfast,  and 
drunk  some  vodka  for  their  journey,  Olyenin 
and  the  old  man  went  out  together  into  the  street. 
It  was  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.     In 


THE   COSSACKS. 


163 


front  of  the  gate  they  met  an  ox  cart.  Maryana, 
her  face  enveloped  to  the  eyes  in  a  white  kerchief, 
wearing  a  beshmet  over  her  shirt  and  boots,  and 
with  a  long  stick  in  her  hand,  was  guiding  the 
oxen  by  a  cord  attached  to  their  horns. 

**  Ah,  loveliest!  "'  exclaimed  the  old  man,  mak- 
ing believe  hug  her. 

Maryanka  raised  her  stick  at  him,  and  looked 
gayly  at  them  both  from  her  handsome  eyes. 

Olyenin's  heart  felt  lighter  than  ever. 

"  Well,  come  on,  come  on,"  he  cried,  throwing 
his  gun  over  his  shoulder  and  feeling  the  girl's 
gaze  resting  on  him. 

Maryanka's  voice,  addressing  the  oxen,  rang  out 
behind  them,  and  immediately  after  the  two- 
wheeled  arba  went  creaking  on  its  way.  Olyenin 
kept  glancing  back  toward  the  ox  cart,  in  which 
sat  the  girl,  holding  her  switch  and  goading  on  the 
oxen. 

The  mist  had  partly  lifted,  disclosing  the 
wet,  thatched  roofs,  and  had  partly  changed  to 
dew,  which  stood  in  big  drops  on  the  paths  and 
foliage  around  the  fences.  The  smoke  from  all 
the  chimneys  hung  low.  The  people  were  pouring 
out  from  the  village ;  some  to  work,  some  on  their 
way  to  the  river,  some  to  the  cordon. 
*  Matnushka^  little  mother. 


164  ^-^^   COSSACKS. 

While  their  road  lay  along  back  of  the  houses 
in  the  village  and  across  the  pastures,  Yeroshka 
chattered  incessantly.  He  could  not  keep  the 
ensign  out  of  his  thoughts,  and  kept  abusing  him. 

"  But  why  are  you  down  on  him  ? "  asked  Olye- 
nin. 

"  Stingy  !  I  don't  like  him  !  "  exclaimed  the 
old  man.  "  When  he  dies,  he  will  have  to  leave 
everything  behind  him.  Whom  is  he  hoarding 
for }  He's  built  two  houses  already.  He  sued 
his  brother  and  got  away  another  garden  from 
him.  And  then  you  know  what  a  dog  he  is  about 
writing  all  sorts  of  documents  !  They  come  to  him 
from  other  villages  to  get  him  to  write  for  them. 
And  when  he  writes  he  finishes  it  right  up  and 
done  with  it.  That's  the  way  he  always  does. 
Who's  he  laying  up  for .?  He's  only  one  boy  and 
the  girl  ;    when  she's  married,  there's  no  more." 

"Perhaps  he's  hoarding  for  the  dowry,"  sug- 
gested Olyenin. 

"  What  dowry  ?  They'll  be  glad  enough  to  take 
the  girl ;  she's  a  fine  girl.  Yes,  and  you  see  he's 
such  a  devil  that  he'll  want  to  give  her  to  a  rich 
man.  He'll  want  to  skin  him  out  of  a  lot  of 
money.  Now,  Luka  is  a  Cossack,  he's  a  neighbor 
of  mine,  and  my  nephew,  and  a  fine  young  fellow ; 
he  killed  the  Chechenets ;  he's  been  after  her  for  a 


THE   COSSACKS.  1 65 

long  time,  but  he  won't  give  her  to  him.  This, 
that,  and  the  other  excuse  he  finds  against  it ;  the 
girl's  too  young,  he  says.  But  I  know  what  his 
ideas  are.  He  wants  them  to  come  with  formal 
gifts.  But  it  would  be  too  bad  as  far  as  the  girl  is 
concerned.  But  they'll  give  her  to  Lukashka  yet. 
Because  he  is  the  first  Cossack  in  the  village,  a 
jigit ;  he  killed  the  abrek,  he's  going  to  have  a 
cross." 

"  But  what  does  this  mean  t  Last  evening,  as  I 
was  walking  in  the  yard,  I  saw  this  same  girl  kiss- 
ing a  Cossack,"  said  Olyenin. 

"  You're  mistaken,"  screamed  the  old  man,  stop- 
ping short. 

"  As  God  lives  !  "  said  Olyenin. 

"A  woman's  a  devil,"  was  Uncle  Yeroshka's 
sententious  answer.    *'  But  what  Cossack  was  it?" 

"  I  could  not  see." 

"  But  what  sort  of  stuff  did  he  have  on  his  cap  ? 
Was  it  white  lambskin  t " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  a  red  zipun  }     Was  he  about  your  size  ? " 

**  No,  taller." 

"It  was  he,"  cried  Yeroshka,  laughing  boister- 
ously. "  It  was  he,  my  Marka.  It  was  Lukashka. 
I  call  him  Marka,  for  I  am  a  joker.  He  was  the 
one !     I  love  him.     I  used  to  be  just  like  him,  my 


1 66  ^^^^^   COSSACKS, 

father.  How  I  used  to  love  the  women  !  Well, 
my  dushenka  used  to  sleep  with  her  mother  and 
her  sister,  and  still  I  got  in  where  she  was.  She 
used  to  live  upstairs.  The  mother  was  a  witch,  a 
perfect  devil,  and  she  hated  me.  I  would  go  with 
Girchik,  my  7tydnya  (that  does  not  mean  oldest 
sister,  but  friend).  I'd  come  under  the  window, 
then  climb  up  on  his  shoulders,  open  the  window, 
and  then  grope  my  way  in.  And  there  she  would 
be  asleep  on  the  bench.  Once  I  woke  her  up  that 
way.  How  she  squealed  !  She  didn't  know  me. 
*  Who's  there  } '  and  I  hadn't  the  power  to  say  a 
word.  Her  mother  was  beginning  to  stir.  I  took 
my  cap  and  stuck  it  into  her  snout.  Then  she 
knew  by  the  rim  who  it  was.  She  jumped  up.  In 
those  days  I  got  anything  I  wanted.  She  used  to 
bring  me  curds  and  grapes  and  everything,"  added 
Uncle  Yeroshka,  giving  a  practical  turn  to  his 
anecdotes.  **  Yes,  and  there  were  others  beside 
her  !     Life  was  life  then  !  " 

*'  But  how  is  it  now  }  " 

"Ah  !  now  we  will  follow  the  dog,  we  will  tree 
a  pheasant  ;  then  you  shoot  !  " 

"Wouldn't  you  like  to  court  Maryana.?"«f  7d.' 

"  You  watch  the  dog !  I  will  show  you  before 
evening,"  said  the  old  man,  pointing  to  his  beloved 
Lyam, 


THE   COSSACKS.  1 6/ 

Both  were  silent.  They  proceeded  a  hundred 
paces,  occasionally  exchanging  a  word,  and  then 
the  old  man  again  paused  and  pointed  to  a  dead 
limb  that  lay  across  their  path. 

**  What  think  you  that  is  }  "  he  asked.  "  Do  you 
suppose  it  is  right  ?  No.  That  stick  lies  in 
the  wrong  way." 

"Why   is   it  wrong.?" 

He  smiled  scornfully.  "  You  don't  know  any- 
thing. Listen  to  me.  When  a  stick  lies  that 
way  you  must  not  step  over  it,  but  go  around 
it  or  fling  it  this  way  out  of  the  road  and 
repeat  the  prayer,  *To  the  Father  and  the  Son 
and  the  Holy  Ghost,'  and  go  with  God's  blessing. 
It  won't  do  any  harm  then.  So  the  old  men  have 
always  told  me." 

**  Now,  what  nonsense  that  is ! "  exclaimed 
Olyenin.  "  Tell  me  rather  about  Maryanka.  So 
she  goes  round  with  Lukashka  ?  " 

"  Sh !  now  keep  quiet,"  and  again  the  old  man 
interrupted  the  conversation  with  a  whisper. 
"  Just  listen.     Now  we  come  into  the  thick  woods." 

And  the  old  man,  stepping  noiselessly  in  his 
porshni,  went  along  over  the  narrow  path  which 
led  into  the  thick,  wild  forest  with  its  dense 
undergrowth.  Occasionally  he  looked  scowlingly 
at   Olyenin,    who    tramped    noisily   along    in   his 


1 68  THE   COSSACKS. 

heavy  boots,  and,  as  he  carried  his  gun  carelessly, 
oftentimes  got  it  entangled  in  the  overhanging 
branches  of  the  trees. 

"  Don't  make  such  a  noise  ;  go  softly,  soldier  !  " 
said  Yeroshka,  in  an  angry  whisper. 

There  was  a  feeling  in  the  air  that  the  sun  was 
trying  to  break  through  the  mist.  It  was  thinner, 
but  still  concealed  the  tops  of  the  trees.  The 
forest  seemed  monstrously  high.  At  each  step 
forward  the  view  changed.  What  seemed  a  tree 
proved  to  be  a  bush,  a  bunch  of  rushes  had  the 
aspect  of  a  tree. 


•CHAPTER   XIX. 

The  two  huntsmen  went  along  together  over 
the  damp  herb-grown  path.  The  dogs,  wagging 
their  tails  and  occasionally  glancing  at  their 
masters,  trotted  along  by  their  side.  Myriads  of 
gnats  darted  about  them  and  followed  them, 
covering  their  backs,  their  faces,  and  their  hands. 
The  air  was  redolent  of  vegetation  and  the 
dampness  of  the  woods.  It  was  warm.  The 
village  noises,  which  they  had  heard  before,  now 
no  longer  reached  the  huntsmen,  only  the  dogs 
made  their  way  through  the  brambles,  and  occa- 
sionally the  birds  twittered.  Olyenin  knew  that 
it  was  unsafe  in  these  woods,  that  abreks  were 
always  apt  to  be  lurking  in  such  places.  He  also 
felt  a  strong  reliance  on  the  protection  afforded 
by  his  gun.  He  was  not  exactly  afraid,  but  he 
was  conscious  that  another  in  his  place  might 
have  been  afraid,  and,  as  he  gazed  with  strained 
attention  into  the  misty,  damp  forest  and  listened 
to  the  faint,  distant  sounds,  he  grasped  his  gun 
firmly  and  experienced  a  feeling  that  was  new  and 
at  the  same  time  agreeable  to  him. 

169 


I70  THE   COSSACKS. 

Uncle  Yeroshka,  taking  the  lead,  halted  at  each 
pool  where  double  tracks  were  to  be  seen,  exam- 
ined them  attentively  and  pointed  them  out  to 
Olyenin.  He  scarcely  spoke  a  word,  only  occa- 
sionally making  his  whispered  observations.  The ' 
path  which  they  took  had  some  time  previously 
been  traversed  by  an  arba,  but  had  been  long 
overgrown  by  grass.  The  forest  of  cork  elms  and 
chinar  trees  was  so  dense  on  both  sides  and  so 
overgrown  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  eye  to 
penetrate  its  depths.  Almost  every  tree  was 
draped  from  top  to  bottom  with  wild  grapevines ; 
the  underbrush  was  a  perfect  thicket  of  black- 
thorn. Every  smallest  clearing  was  overgrown 
with  blackberry  vines,  with  rushes  crowned  with 
gray  waving  flowers.  Here  and  there  great  paths 
made  by  animals  and  small  ones  like  the  tunnels 
of  pheasants  led  off  from  the  wood  road  into  the 
depths  of  the  thicket.  Olyenin,  who  had  never 
seen  anything  like  it,  was  amazed  at  the  exuber- 
ance of  this  virgin  forest.  The  dense  vegetation, 
the  peril,  the  old  man  with  his  mysterious  whis- 
pers, Maryanka  with  her  strong  superb  figure,  and 
the  mountains,  —  all  seemed  to  Olyenin  like  a 
klream. 

"A  pheasant  has  just  alighted,"  said    the  old 
man  in  a  whisper,  glancing  around  and  drawing 


THE  COSSACKS. 


171 


his  cap  down  over  his  face.  "  Hide  your  snout, 
it's  a  pheasant."  He  frowned  sternly  at  Olyenin, 
and  crept  on  almost  on  his  hands  and  knees.  **  It 
doesn't  like  a  man's  face." 

Olyenin  was  still  in  the  rear  when  the  old  man 
suddenly  rose  to  his  full  height  and  began  to 
scrutinize  a  tree.  A  fowl  was  clucking  down  at 
the  dog  which  was  barking  at  him,  at  the  foot  of  a 
tree,  and  Olyenin  saw  the  pheasant.  But,  just  as 
he  was  taking  aim,  Uncle  Yeroshka's  fowling-piece 
went  off  with  a  report  like  a  cannon,  and  the  bird, 
which  had  started  to  fly  up,  fell  earthward,  scatter- 
ing its  feathers  as  it  fell.  As  he  went  toward 
the  old  man,  Olyenin  started  up  another.  Putting  * 
his  gun  to  his  shoulder,  he  aimed  and  fired.  The 
pheasant  flew  up,  then  fell  like  a  stone  into  the 
thicket. 

"  Bravo  !  "  cried  Uncle  Yeroshka,  who  was  not  a 
crack  shot  at  a  bird  on  the  wing.  Picking  up  the 
pheasants,  they  went  on.  Elated  by  the  exertion 
and  the  praise,  Olyenin  kept  talking  with  the  old 
man. 

"  Hold  on,  we  will  go  in  here ! "  cried  the  old 
man,  interrupting  him.  "  Yesterday  I  saw  the 
tracks  of  a  stag  there." 

Turning  off  into  the  thicket  and  proceeding 
three   hundred    paces,   they   reached   a    clearing 


172  THE   COSSACKS, 

overgrown  with  reeds,  and  in  places  overflowed 
with  water.  Olyenin  followed  the  old  huntsman, 
and  was  about  twenty  paces  behind  him  when  he 
saw  him  bend  over,  shake  his  head  significantly, 
and  beckon  with  his  hand.  Hastening  to  join 
him,  Olyenin  saw  human  footprints.  Uncle 
Yeroshka  called  his  attention  to  them:  — 

*'  Do  you  see  t " 

"  Yes,  I  see ;  what  of  it  t "  replied  Olyenin, 
trying  to  speak  as  calmly  as  possible.  "A  man 
has  been  here." 

The  thought  of  Cooper's  "Pathfinder"  and  of 
abreks  flashed  through  his  mind,  and,  as  he  no- 
ticed the  precaution  with  which  the  old  man  went 
on,  he  could  not  make  up  his  mind  to  ask  about 
it,  and  was  therefore  in  doubt  whether  this  air  of 
mystery  resulted  from  peril  or  the  exigencies  of 
sport. 

"  Nay,  that's  my  own  track,"  replied  the  old 
man,  simply,  and  then  pointed  to  the  grass  over 
which  could  be  seen  the  almost  obliterated  tracks 
of  a  wild  animal. 

The  old  man  went  on.  Olyenin  kept  now 
abreast  of  him.  After  they  had  gone  twenty 
paces  farther,  they  descended  to  a  lower  level  and 
reached  a  thicket  where  there  was  a  spreading 
pear  tree,  under   which  the  grass  did  not  grow, 


I  THE   COSSACKS.  1 73 

and  the  fresh  lesses  of  a  wild  animal  could  be 
plainly  seen  on  the  black  soil.  The  place,  all 
surrounded  by  wild  grapevines,  was  like  a  snug 
covered  arbor,  dark  and  cool. 

**  He  has  been  here  this  morning,"  said  the 
old  man,  with  a  sigh.  "  See,  the  lair  shows  he 
has  been  lying  here." 

Suddenly  a  tremendous  crashing  was  heard  in 
the  forest,  not  ten  paces  away.  Both  were 
startled,  and  grasped  their  muskets,  but  nothing 
was  to  be  seen  ;  only  there  was  a  sound  of  break- 
ing twigs.  The  regular,  swift  beat  of  a  gallop 
was  heard  for  an  instant,  then  the  crashing 
changed  into  a  dull  rumble,  ever  farther  and 
farther  away,  echoing  through  the  still  forest. 
Something  seemed  to  give  way  in  Olyenin's  heart. 
With  a  dazed  expression  he  gazed  at  the  green 
depths  of  the  wood,  and  at  last  turned  and  looked 
at  the  old  man.  Uncle  Yeroshka,  with  his  gun 
still  at  his  shoulder,  stood  motionless  ;  his  hat  was 
on  the  back  of  his  head,  his  eyes  gleamed  with  an 
unusual  light,  and  his  opened  mouth,  showing  the 
stumps  of  his  yellow  teeth,  had  an  angry  expres- 
sion ;  he  seemed  petrified  in  that  position. 

"  A  big  horn  !  "  he  cried.  And,  throwing  down 
his  gun  in  despair,  he  began  to  tear  his  white 
beard.  —  "  Here  he  was  standino:.     In  a  moment 


174 


THE  COSSACKS, 


we  should  have  been  on  him.  Fool !  fool !  **  — 
and  he  wrathfully  clutched  his  beard.  "  Fool ! 
Hog ! "  he  repeated,  still  twitching  his  beard. 
Something  seemed  to  be  flying  through  the  for- 
est in  the  mist  ;  farther  and  farther  away,  more 
and  more  dimly  echoed  the  hoofs  of  the  escaping 
stag. 

It  was  growing  dark  when  Olyenin  returned 
with  the  old  man,  weary,  famished,  and  full  of 
vigor.  Dinner  was  waiting  for  him.  He  ate  and 
drank  with  the  old  huntsman,  and  his  heart  was 
full  of  warmth  and  joy  when  they  went  out  on  the 
steps.  Again  before  his  eyes  arose  the  moun- 
tains against  the  sunset.  Again  the  old  man 
related  his  endless  stories  about  the  chase,  about 
the  abreks,  about  his  mistresses,  about  his  wild 
adventurous  life.  Again  the  superb  maiden 
Maryana,  the  beauty,  went  by,  in  and  out  and 
across  the  yard. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

On  the  following  day  Olyenin  went  alone  to 
the  place  where  they  had  started  up  the  stag. 
Instead  of  taking  the  longer  way  through  the  vil- 
lage gates,  he  followed  the  example  of  all  the 
others,  and  crept  through  the  bramble  hedge. 
And  he  had  scarcely  got  loose  from  the  thorns 
that  caught  in  his  cherkeska  when  his  dog,  which 
had  run  on  ahead,  started  up  two  pheasants. 

As  soon  as  he  had  got  fairly  into  the  black- 
thorn thicket,  the  pheasants  began  to  fly  up  at 
every  step.  The  old  huntsman  had  not  showed 
him  this  place  the  day  before,  intending  to  keep 
it  for  hunting  with  the  decoy.  Olyenin  shot  five 
pheasants  in  twelve  shots,  and,  in  trying  to  crawl 
after  them  through  the  thicket,  he  exerted  him- 
self so  vigorously  that  the  sweat  poured  from 
him.  He  called  back  his  dog,  uncocked  his  gun, 
loaded  it  with  a  bullet  instead  of  shot,  and,  driv- 
ing away  the  gnats  with  the  sleeves  of  his  cher- 
keska, he  noiselessly  made  his  way  to  where  they 
had  been  the  day  before.  But  it  was  impossible 
to   restrain   the   dog,   which    kept    finding    fresh 

175 


176  THE   COSSACKS. 

trails,  and  he  killed  still  another  brace  of  pheas- 
ants, and  the  delay  caused  by  this  prevented  him 
from  reaching  the  place  before  it  was  noon. 

The  day  was  remarkably  clear,  calm,  and  hot. 
The  morning  coolness  had  entirely  vanished  from 
the  forest,  and  myriads  of  midges  literally  covered 
his  face,  his  back,  and  his  hands.  They  settled 
down  so  upon  the  dog's  back  that  they  changed 
his  color  from  black  to  gray,  and  the  same  with 
the  cherkaska,  through  which  they  thrust  their 
stings.  Olyenin  was  ready  to  make  his  escape 
from  his  tormentors  ;  it  even  seemed  to  him 
that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  spend 
the  summer  in  the  village.  He  started  to  go 
home,  but,  remembering  that  men  live  through 
such  things,  he  resolutely  made  up  his  mind  to 
put  up  with  it,  and  allowed  the  gnats  to  sting  him 
as  much  as  they  pleased.  And,  strangely  enough, 
toward  noon,  this  sensation  began  to  be  agreeable 
to  him.  It  even  seemed  to  him  that  if  this  at- 
mosphere of  gnats  surrounding  him  on  all  sides, 
this  paste  of  gnats  which  rolled  up  as  he  passed 
his  hand  over  his  face,  and  this  intolerable  itch- 
ing over  his  whole  body,  were  absent,  then  the 
forest  there  would  have  lost  for  him  its  char- 
acter and  its  charm.  These  myriads  of  insects 
were  so  appropriate  to  the  wildness  of  the  vege- 


THE   COSSACKS. 


177 


tation,  luxuriant  almost  to  ugliness,  this  wilder- 
ness of  beasts  and  birds,  this  dark  green  forest, 
this  fragrant  heated  air,  these  channels  of  muddy 
water  everywhere  oozing  through  from  the  Terek 
and  bubbling  up  under  the  hanging  leaves,  that 
what  had  before  seemed  terrible  and  unendurable 
now  began  to  be  even  agreeable. 

Going  to  the  spot  where  he  had  found  the  stag 
the  day  before,  and  finding  nothing  there,  he  felt 
an  inclination  to  rest.  The  sun  stood  directly 
above  the  forest  and  scorched  his  head  and 
neck  whenever  he  came  out  into  a  clearing 
or  went  along  a  path.  His  seven  pheasants 
dragged  down  upon  his  belt  with  a  painful 
weight.  He  hunted  for  the  trail  of  the  stag, 
crept  through  the  bushes  to  the  thicket,  to  the 
very  place  where  the  stag  had  lain  the  day  be- 
fore, and  stretched  himself  out  in  his  retreat. 
He  saw  all  around  him  the  dark  green  wall  of 
leaves,  he  saw  the  nest  where  he  had  been  ly- 
ing, the  dried  fumets,  the  impression  of  the 
stag's  knees,  the  lumps  of  earth  torn  up  by 
his  hoofs,  and  his  latest  tracks.  It  seemed 
cool  and  comfortable  ;  he  had  no  anxieties,  no 
desires. 

And  suddenly  there  came  over  him  such  a 
strange    feeling    of    unreasonable    joy    and    love 


1^8  THE   COSSACKS. 

toward  everything  that  he  began  to  cross  him- 
self and  offered  thanks,  just  as  he  used  to  do 
when  he  was  a  child.  Suddenly  this  thought 
came  into  his  mind  with  extraordinary  clear- 
ness :  — 

"Here  I,  Dmitri  Olyenin,  an  entity  distinct 
from  all  others,  am  lying  all  alone,  God  knows 
where,  in  the  very  place  where  lives  a  stag, 
an  old  stag,  a  handsome  fellow,  which  has  per- 
haps never  even  seen  the  face  of  man,  and  in 
a  place,  likewise,  where  no  human  being  has 
ever  been  before,  or  thought  of  being.  Here 
I  sit  and  around  me  rise  old  trees  and  young 
trees  and  each  one  of  them  is  twined  about  by 
the  tendrils  of  the  wild  grape ;  around  me 
swarm  the  pheasants,  chasing  each  other,  and, 
perhaps,  scenting  their  dead   companions." 

He  felt  of  his  pheasants,  examined  them,  and 
wiped  his  blood-stained  hand  on  his  cherkeska. 

"  Perhaps  the  jackals  also  smell  them,  and, 
with  fierce  faces,  are  sneaking  about  me  on 
the  other  side.  Around  me,  flying  among  the 
leaves,  which  must  seem  to  them  like  vast 
islands,  the  gnats  are  hovering  in  the  air,  and 
buzzing :  one,  two,  three,  four,  a  hundred,  a 
thousand,  a  million  gnats,  and  each  one  of 
them    is    buzzing    something    for    some    special 


THE   COSSACKS.  I^n 

reason  around  me,  and  each  one  of  them  is  a 
Dmitri  Olyenin,  an  entity  distinct  from  all  the 
others  as  much  as  I  am." 

He  began  to  get  a  clear  idea  of  what  the 
gnats  were  thinking  and  buzzing  about :  '*  Here, 
this  way,  children.  Here's  something  good  to 
eat,"  they  sing,  as  they  settle  down  upon  him. 

And  it  became  clear  to  him  that  he  was  not 
in  the  least  a  Russian  nobleman,  a  member  of 
high  Moscow  society,  the  friend  and  relative  of 
this  person  and  that,  but  a  mere  gnat,  like  these 
others,  or  a  pheasant,  or  a  stag,  like  those  that 
now  have  their  haunts  in  the  woods  around  him. 

"Just  like  them,  just  like  Uncle  Yeroshka,  I 
live  my  little  life  and  shall  die  like  them.  He 
was  right  when  he  said :  *  Only  grass  will  be 
the  aftergrowth.*  —  And  supposing  it  is  only 
grass } "  his  thoughts  ran  on,  "  still  I  must 
live  all  the  same,  must  be  happy :  because  I 
have  only  one  wish  —  happiness.  It  would  be 
all  the  same,  whatever  I  was  :  whether  an  ani- 
mal, like  all  the  rest,  over  which  the  grass 
will  grow  and  nothing  more,  or  a  frame  in 
which  a  part  of  all-embracing  Godhead  is  set : 
still  I  must  live  in  the  best  way  possible. 
How,  then,  must  I  live  so  as  to  be  happy, 
and  why  have  I  not  been  happy  hitherto?" 


l80    ■  THE   COSSACKS. 

And  he  began  to  review  his  past  life,  and  it 
seemed  to  him  disgusting.  He  seemed  in  his 
own  eyes  such  an  exacting  egotist,  even  while 
in  reality  he  had  no  real  needs  at  all.  And  all 
the  time  he  was  gazing  at  the  brilliant  green  of 
the  foliage,  at  the  descending  sun  and  the  clear 
sky,  and  he  realized  that  his  happiness  still  kept 
at  the  same  high  level. 

"What  makes  me  happy.?  And  what  has  been 
the  aim  of  my  past  life.-*"  he  asked  himself. 
"  How  exacting  I  have  been  for  my  own  interests, 
how  whimsical  I  have  been,  and  what  have  been 
the  results  of  my  actions? — only  shame  and 
suffering !  And  now  how  little  I  find  is  essential 
for  happiness." 

And  suddenly  it  seemed  as  though  a  new  world 
were  revealed  to  him.  **  This  is  what  happi- 
ness is,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  Happiness  con- 
sists in  living  for  others.  This  also  is  clear. 
Man  is  endowed  with  a  craving  for  happiness  ; 
therefore  it  must  be  legitimate.  If  he  satisfies 
it  egotistically  —  that  is,  if  he  bends  his  energies 
toward  acquiring  wealth,  fame,  physical  comforts, 
love  —  it  may  happen  that  circumstances  will  make 
it  impossible  to  satisfy  this  craving.  In  fact, 
these  cravings  are  illegitimate,  but  the  craving 
for  happiness  is  not  illegitimate.     What  cravings 


THE   COSSACKS.  l8i 

can  always  he  satisfied  independently  of  external 
conditions  ?  —  Love,  self-denial." 

The  discovery  of  this,  which  seemed  to  him  a 
new  truth,  so  delighted  and  satisfied  him  that  he 
sprang  up  and  began  impatiently  to  consider  whom 
he  might  as  quickly  as  possible  sacrifice  himself  for, 
to  whom  he  might  do  good,  whom  he  might  love. 

"  Since  I  need  nothing  for  myself,"  he  kept 
thinking,  "  why  should  I  not  live  for  others  ? " 
He  took  his  gun,  and,  with  the  intention  of  re- 
turning home  as  soon  as  possible  so  as  to  think 
this  all  over  and  find  a  chance  to  do  good,  he 
crept  out  of  the  thicket.  When  he  came  into  the 
clearing  he  looked  around  :  the  sun  was  hidden 
behind  the  tree-tops ;  it  had  grown  cooler,  and  the 
locality  seemed  to  him  perfectly  unknown  and  un- 
like that  surrounding  the  village.  Everything  had 
suddenly  undergone  a  change,  the  weather  and 
the  character  of  the  forest  ;  the  sky  was  covered 
with  clouds,  the  wind  soughed  through  the  tops  of 
the  trees  ;  all  around  him  were  to  be  seen  only  the 
reeds  and  the  decaying  forest  primeval.  He  started 
to  call  back  his  dog,  which  had  run  from  him  after 
some  animal,  and  his  voice  reechoed  through  the 
solitude.  And  suddenly  a  terrible  dread  came 
upon  him.  He  began  to  be  afraid.  His  memory 
called  up  the  abrcks,  and  their  murderous  deeds  of 


1 82  THE   COSSACKS. 

which  he  had  been  told,  and  he  began  to  imagine 
that  a  Chechenets  was  hiding  behind  every  bush, 
ready  to  leap  out  at  him,  and  he  saw  himself  de- 
fending his  life,  or  dying  or  playing  the  coward. 
The  thought  of  God  and  of  the  future  life  came  to 
him  with  a  vividness  long  unexperienced.  But  all 
around  him  was  the  same  dusky,  stern,  wild  nature. 

"And  is  it  any  use,"  he  asked  himself,  "to 
have  lived  for  self,  when  here  you  may  die,  and 
die  not  having  accomplished  any  good,  and  die 
here,  far  away  from  all  human  eyes  } " 

He  struck  off  in  the  direction  where  he  sup- 
posed the  village  lay.  He  had  entirely  forgotten 
about  his  hunting  ;  he  felt  desperately  tired  ;  he 
glanced  with  apprehension,  almost  with  horror,  at 
every  clump  of  bushes  and  tree,  expecting  that 
his  life  might  be  required  of  him  at  any  second. 
After  making  a  pretty  wide  circuit,  he  struck  a 
canal  through  which  flowed  the  sandy,  cold  water 
from  the  Terek,  and  he  resolved  to  keep  along 
beside  this  so  as  not  to  get  turned  around.  Even 
now  he  did  not  know  where  the  canal  would  bring 
him  out.  Suddenly  there  was  a  crashing  in  the 
reeds  behind  him.  He  was  startled  and  grasped 
his  gun.  It  was  only  his  heated  and  heavily  pant- 
ing dog  jumping  into  the  cold  water  of  the  ditch 
and  beginning  to  lap  it. 


THE  COSSACKS. 


183 


Olyenin  felt  a  sense  of  shame. 

He  stooped  down  and  drank  with  him,  and  then 
he  followed  in  the  direction  of  the  canal,  expect- 
ing that  it  would  bring  him  to  the  village.  But, 
in  spite  of  the  dog's  companionship,  it  suddenly 
seemed  to  him  more  gloomy  than  ever.  The  for- 
est was  filled  with  shadows ;  the  wind  played 
more  and  more  violently  in  the  tops  of  the 
ancient,  decaying  trees.  Great  birds  flew  crying 
around  their  nests  in  these  trees.  The  vegetation 
grew  less  luxuriant ;  he  came  more  and  more  fre- 
quently ^upon  clumps  of  murmuring  rushes  and 
bare,  sandy  reaches,  marked  by  the  tracks  of  wild 
animals.  Mingled  with  the  whispering  of  the 
wind  came  a  melancholy,  monotonous  murmur. 
His  whole  soul  was  filled  with  gloom.  He  felt 
after  his  pheasants  behind  him  and  found  that  one 
was  gone.  The  bird  had  been  torn  off  and  lost, 
and  only  the  bloody  neck  and  head  stuck  to  his 
belt.  It  seemed  to  him  that  never  before  in  his 
life  had  he  felt  so  overwhelmed  with  terror. 
He  tried  to  offer  a  prayer  to  God  ;  his  one  fear 
was  that  he  should  be  killed  without  having  done 
any  good  in  the  world,  and  his  desire  was  so 
strong  to  live,  to  live  so  as  to  accomplish  some 
great  exploit  of  self-renunciation  ! 


CHAPTER   XXL 

Suddenly  it  seemed  as  though  the  sun  shone 
into  his  heart.  He  heard  the  sounds  of  Russian 
talk  ;  he  heard  the  swift,  regular  rushing  of  the 
Terek,  and,  within  two  steps,  there  opened  out 
before  him  the  tawny,  hurrying  surface  of  the 
river,  with  its  damp,  brown  sands  along  the 
shores  and  bars,  the  distant  steppe,  the  roof  of 
the  "  post  "  a  short  distance  above  the  water,  a 
saddled  horse,  with  its  feet  hobbled,  grazing,  — 
-and  the  mountains.  The  red  sun  peered  for  an 
instant  from  under  the  clouds,  and  its  last  rays 
shot  cheerfully  across  the  river,  over  the  reeds, 
and  gleamed  on  the  roof  and  a  group  of  Cossacks 
standing  about.  Among  them  Lukashka's  vigor- 
ous form  involuntarily  attracted  Olyenin's  atten- 
tion. 

He  felt  himself  again,  and,  without  any  appar- 
ent cause,  perfectly  happy.  He  had  come  to  the 
Nizhni-Prototsky  post  on  the  Terek,  and  over 
against  the  pacific  aul  on  the  Chechen  side.  He 
greeted  the  Cossacks,  but,  finding  as  yet  no 
chance   to   do   any   one    good,  he  went   into    the 

184 


THE  COSSACKS.  1 85 

house.  No  opportunity  offered  in  the  house 
either.  The  Cossacks  received  him  coldly.  He 
looked  about  in  the  clay-plastered  room  and 
smoked  his  cigarette.  The  Cossacks  paid  no 
attention  to  him  ;  in  the  first  place,  because  he 
smoked  cigarettes,  and,  secondly,  because  they 
had  something  else  to  distract  them  that  evening. 

Some  hostile  Chechens,  relatives  of  Lukashka's 
abrek,  had  come  down  from  the  mountains,  with 
a  dragoman,  to  ransom  the  body.  The  Cossack 
commander  was  expected  from  the  village. 

The  dead  man's  brother,  a  tall,  finely  propor- 
tioned man,  with  a  beard  trimmed  and  dyed  red, 
was  as  dignified  and  haughty  as  a  tsar,  though  he 
was  dressed  in  a  torn  cherkeska  and  lambskin 
cap.  His  features  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to 
the  dead  abrek.  He  did  not  deign  to  glance  at 
any  one  ;  not  once  did  he  turn  his  eyes  upon  the 
dead  man^  but,  squatting  on  his  heels  in  the 
shade,  he  smoked  his  pipe,  spat  upon  the  ground, 
and,  from  time  to  time,  gave  imperious  commands 
in  a  guttural  tone,  and  his  fellow  listened  deferen- 
tially and  obeyed  them.  It  was  plain  that  this 
was  a  jigit,  who  had  more  than  once  seen  the 
Russians  in  entirely  different  circumstances,  and 
that  he  found  nothing  to  surprise  him  or  attract 
attention  in  them  now. 


1 86  "^^HE  COSSACKS. 

Olyenin  went  near  to  the  dead  man  and  began 
to  gaze  at  him,  but  the  brother  cast  a  calm,  con- 
temptuous glance  at  him  and  said  something  in  an 
angry  staccato.  The  dragoman  hastened  to  cover 
the  dead  man's  face  with  a  cloak.  Olyenin  was 
dumfounded  by  the  dignity  and  sternness  of  the 
jigit's  face  ;  he  greeted  him  and  asked  from  what 
aul  he  came,  but  the  Chechenets  barely  glanced 
at  him,  spat  contemptuously,  and  turned  away. 

Olyenin  was  so  surprised  at  the  mountaineer's 
indifference  or  lack  of  interest  in  him  that  he 
explained  it  to  himself  as  due  to  stupidity  or  not 
understanding  him. 

He  addressed  himself  to  his  comrade. 

His  comrade,  the  emissary  and  dragoman,  was 
likewise  ragged  ;  he  was  not  sandy,  like  the  other, 
but  dark  and  vivacious,  and  had  exceedingly  white 
teeth  and  flashing  black  eyes.  He  was  not  at  all 
averse  to  conversation,  and  begged  for  a  cigar- 
ette. 

"There  were  five  brothers  of  them,"  related 
the  interpreter,  in  broken  Russian ;  "  now  the 
Russians  already  shot  three  ;  there  were  only  two 
left ;  he's  a  jigit,  very  jigit,"  said  the  interpreter, 
indicating  the  Chechenets.  "  When  Akhmet- 
Khan  —  that  was  the  name  of  the  dead  abrek  — 
was  killed,  this  one  was  on  the  other  side,  hiding 


THE   COSSACKS.  1 87 

in  the  reeds  ;  he  saw  the  whole  thing,  and  how 
they  got  Akhmet-Khan  in  a  boat  and  how  they 
brought  him  ashore.  He  sat  there  till  night ;  he 
wanted  to  shoot  the  old  man,  but  the  others  would 
not  let  him.'* 

Lukashka  came  where  Olyenin  was  and  sat 
down. 

"Well,  what  aul  are  you  from  }  "    he  asked. 

"Yonder  in  those  mountains,"  replied  the  inter- 
preter, pointing  across  the  Terek  toward  a  bluish, 
misty  defile.  "  Do  you  know  Suyuk-su  t  It's 
ten  versts  beyond  that." 

"  Do  you  know  Girei-Khan  in  Suyuk-su } " 
asked  Lukashka,  evidently  proud  of  this  acquaint- 
ance.    "  He's  my  kunak  ! " 

"  He's  a  neighbor  of  mine,"  replied  the  inter- 
preter. 

"  He's  a  brave  man,"  and  Lukashka,  evidently 
very  much  interested,  began  speaking  in  the  Ta- 
tar tongue  with  the  mountaineer. 

Before  long,  the  sotnik  or  captain  and  the  vil- 
lage elder  came  riding  up,  followed  by  a  suite  of 
two  Cossacks.  The  sotnik,  one  of  the  new  offi- 
cers, greeted  the  Cossacks,  but  there  was  no 
return  greeting  of,  "  We  hope  you  are  well,  your 
Honor,"  as  in  the  army,  and  a  bow  here  and  there 
was  all  that  any  one  gave  him.     A  few,  and  Lu- 


1 88  THE   COSSACKS. 

kashka  among  the  number,  stood  up  and  formed 
in  line.  The  sergeant  reported  that  all  was 
satisfactory  at  the  "  post." 

All  this  seemed  ridiculous  to  Olyenin,  like 
Cossacks  playing  soldier.  But  the  formalities 
quickly  assumed  more  simplicity,  and  the  sotnik, 
who  was  a  clever  Cossack,  like  all  the  rest,  was 
soon  briskly  talking  Tatar  with  the  delegate.  A 
paper  was  drawn  up  and  given  to  the  delegate, 
and  money  taken  in  exchange,  and  then  they 
approached    the    corpse. 

"  Gavrilof  Luka,  —  which  one  of  you  is  he  ?  " 
asked  the  sotnik. 

Lukashka  took  off  his  cap  and  advanced. 

"  I  have  sent  a  report  about  you  to  the  colonel. 
What  will  come  of  it,  I  do  not  know ;  I  have 
recommended  you  for  a  cross  ;  we'll  soon  make 
you  a  sergeant.     Can  you  read  and  write  }  '* 

"Not  at  all." 

"  But  what  a  superb  fellow  !  "  exclaimed  the 
sotnik,  continuing  to  play  commander.  *' Put  on 
your  cap.  What  family  of  Gavrilofs }  Any  rela- 
tion to  the  '  Broad-back  ' .?  " 

"  His  nephew,"  replied  the  sergeant. 

"  I  know,  I  know.  —  Well,  take  it  away  ;  lend  a 
hand  there,"  said  he,  turning  to  the  Cossacks. 

Lukashka's   face    grew  radiant    with     pleasure, 


THE   COSSACKS.  l8g 

and  seemed  handsomer  than  usual.  Ke  turned 
from  the  sergeant,  and,  putting  on  his  cap,  again 
sat  down  near  Olyenin. 

After  the  body  had  been  laid  in  the  canoe,  the 
Chechenets,  the  brother  of  Akhmet-Khan,  went 
down  to  the  shore.  The  Cossacks  involuntarily 
made  way  for  him.  Giving  a  powerful  spring 
from  the  shore,  he  leaped  into  the  boat.  Then, 
for  the  first  time,  as  Olyenin  noticed,  he  cast  a 
fleeting  glance  over  all  the  Cossacks,  and  again 
asked  some  abrupt  question  of  his  companion. 
The  dragoman  replied,  and  pointed  to  Lukashka. 
The  Chechenets  gazed  at  him,  and  then,  slowly 
turning  around,  looked  toward  the  other  shore. 

Not  so  much  hatred  as  chilling  scorn  was  ex- 
pressed in  his  face.     He  said  a  few  words  more. 

"  What  did  he  say  t "  asked  Olyenin  of  the 
lively  dragoman. 

"  Yours  kill  ours,  ours  will  kill  yours.  Always 
the  same  coil  !  "  said  he,  evidently  answering  at 
haphazard;  then,  laughing  and  showing  his  white 
teeth,  he  sprang  into  the  canoe. 

The  dead  man's  brother  sat  motionless,  and 
gazed  steadily  at  the  farther  shore.  He  was  so 
filled  with  hate  and  scorn  that  he  found  nothing 
worthy  of  his  attention  on  this  side.  The  drago- 
man, standing  at  the  stern  of  the  canoe,  paddling 


190 


THE    COSSACKS. 


now  on  this  side,  now  on  that,  skilfully  drove  it 
across,  and  talked  incessantly.  As  the  current 
bore  them  obliquely  down  stream,  the  canoe 
grew  smaller  and  smaller,  the  sounds  of  the  voices 
were  ahnost  lost,  and  at  last  they  were  seen  to 
run.  on  the  farther  shore,  where  their  horses  were 
in  waiting.  There  they  disembarked  the  body, 
and  laid  it  across  the  saddle  in  spite  of  the  res- 
tiveness  of  the  horse  ;  then  mounting,  they  rode 
off  slowly  along  the  road,  past  the  aul,  from  which 
a  throng  of  people  came  forth  to  look  at  them. 

But  the  Cossacks,  on  the  Russian  side,  were 
thoroughly  satisfied  and  happ3^  Laughter  and 
raillery  were  heard  all  about.  The  sotnik  and  the 
village  elder  went  into  the  clay-plastered  room  of 
the  hut  to  have  some  refreshments.  Lukashka, 
with  a  radiant  face,  which  he  vainly  tried  to  sober 
down,  took  a  seat  near  Olyenin,  resting  his  elbows 
on  his  knees  and  peeling  a  stick. 

"  What  makes  you  smoke  ?  "  he  asked,  as  though 
out  of  curiosity.     *'  Is  it  good  ?  " 

He  evidently  said  this  because  he  noticed  that 
Olyenin  felt  ill  at  ease  and  was  alone  among  the 
Cossacks. 

"  Yes,  I  am  used  to  it,"  replied  Olyenin.  "  But 
why  do  you  ask  t  " 

*'  Hm !  If  any  of  us  fellows  here  were  to  smoke. 


THE   COSSACKS.  IqI 

it  would  go  hard  with  him  !  How  near  the  moun- 
tains look  !  "  said  Lukashka,  pointing  to  the  defile. 
"And  yet  it  would  take  some  time  to  get  there! 
.  .  .  How  will  you  be  able  to  get  home  alone  ?  it's 
dark.  I  will  go  with  you,  if  you  like,"  said  Lu- 
kashka ;  "you  ask  the  sergeant." 

"What  a  splendid  young  fellow  !  "  said  Olyenin 
to  himself,  as  he  looked  into  the  Cossack's  merry 
face.  The  thought  of  Maryanka  occurred  to  him, 
and  the  kiss  which  he  had  overheard  behind  the 
gate  ;  and  he  began  to  feel  sorry  for  Lukashka,  for 
his  lack  of  education.  "  What  folly  and  confusion  !  " 
he  thought,  "  a  man  has  killed  another  and  is 
happy  and  satisfied  as  though  he  had  done  some 
good  deed.  Can  it  be  that  nothing  whispers  to 
him  that  there  is  no  reason  for  rejoicing  on  ac- 
count of  this  .''  That  happiness  consists  not  in 
killing  others,  but  in  self-sacrifice  }  " 

"Well,  don't  fall  into  his  hands  now,  brother  !" 
exclaimed  one  of  the  Cossacks  who  had  come 
down  to  see  the  boat  off,  addressing  Lukashka. 
"  Did  you  hear  what  he  said  about  you  }  " 

Lukashka  raised  bis  head.  "  The  one  I  chris- 
tened t "  asked  Lukashka,  meaning  by  this  the 
Chechenets. 

"  The  one  you  christened  will  not  rise  again, 
but  the  sandy  brother  lives  still." 


192 


THE   COSSACKS. 


*'  Let  him  thank  his  stars  that  he  got  away 
whole,"  said  Lukashka,  with  a  laugh. 

"  Why  is  it  you  feel  glad  ?  "  asked  Olyenin  of 
Lukashka.  "  If  your  brother  had  been  killed, 
should  you  feel  glad  ?  " 

A  look  of  fun  came  into  the  Cossack's  eyes  as 
he  glanced  at  Olyenin.  He  evidently  understood 
all  the  meaning  that  Olyenin  intended  to  convey, 
but  he  stood  on  a  higher  ground  than  such  con- 
siderations. 

"Supposing  it  were  so  .»*  It  must  be!  Don't 
they  kill  our  brothers  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

The  sotnik  and  the  village  elder  rode  off ;  and 
Oly^nin,  so  as  to  confer  a  pleasure  upon  Lukashka, 
and  so  as  not  to  travel  alone  through  the  dark 
forest,  asked  for  Lukashka's  company,  and  permis- 
sion was  granted.  Olyenin  supposed  that  he 
wanted  to  see  Maryanka,  and  he  was,  moreover, 
glad  of  the  company  of  such  a  pleasant-looking  and 
garrulous  Cossack.  Lukashka  and  Maryanka  were 
naturally  united  in  his  imagination,  and  he  liked 
to  think  of  them.  "  He  loves  Maryanka,"  said 
Olyenin  to  himself,  "and  I  might  love  her."  And 
a  strange  and  novel  feeling  of  affection  overmas- 
tered him  as  they  went  home  together  through  the 
dark  forest.  Lukashka  was  also  particularly  light- 
hearted.  Something  like  love  was  experienced  by 
both  of  these  young  men,  who  were  in  every  way 
so  absolutely  dissimilar.  Every  time  that  their 
eyes  met,  they  felt  like  smiling. 

•■*  Which  is  your  gate  ?  "  asked  Olyenin. 

"The  middle  one  ;  I  will  go  with  you  as  far  as  the 
swamp.  After  that  there  is  nothing  more  to  be 
afraid  of." 

193 


194  ^^^   COSSACKS. 

Olyenin  laughed. 

"  Why  should  I  be  afraid  ?  Go  back.  I  am 
much  obliged  to  you.     I  will  go  on  alone." 

"  Not  at  all.  What  else  have  I  got  to  do } 
Why  shouldn't  you  be  afraid  ;  even  we  are,"  said 
Lukashka,  also  laughing,  and  soothing  his  compan- 
ion's vanity. 

"  Then  come  in  with  me.  We  will  have  a  talk, 
we  will  drink  together,  and  you  can  go  back  to- 
morrow." 

"  Do  you  think  that  I  should  not  find  a  place  to 
spend  the  night,"  returned  Lukashka,  laughing. 
**  But  the  sergeant  ordered  me  to  come  back." 

*'  I  heard  you  last  evening  ;  you  were  singing 
a  song,  and  besides  I  saw  you." 

"All  men  .  .  ."  and  Luka  shook  his  head. 

"  Well,  are  you  to  be  married  t  Is  that  so }  " 
asked  Olyenin. 

"  Matushka  wants  to  have  me  marry.  But  I 
haven't  any  horse  yet." 

"  Aren't  you  regularly  enrolled  } " 

"  How  should  I  be  t  I've  only  just  been  taken 
on.  I  haven't  any  horse  yet  and  no  way  to  ar- 
range for  one.  And  that's  why  I  don't  get 
married." 

"  And  how  much  does  a  horse  cost } " 

"One   was   bought   the   other   day  across   the 


THE   COSSACKS.  1 95 

river  ;  it  was  less  than  sixty  rubles,  but  it  was 
a  Nogaf  horse." 

"  Come  and  be  my  drabant.  '  T  will  manage 
it  and  I  will  furnish  you  with  a  horse,"  said 
Olyenin,  with  a  sudden  impulse.  —  "  Truly  I  will. 
I  have  two ;  I  don't  need  them  both." 

"Why  don't  you  need  them  V  asked  Lukashka, 
with  a  laugh.  "  Why  should  you  give  me  one  } 
We  shall  get  one  in  God's  time." 

"  Truly  I  mean  it !  Or  won't  you  come  as  my 
drabant  V  asked  Olyenin,  pleased  with  the  thought 

r 

that  had  occurred  to  him  of  giving  Lukashka  a 
horse.  He  felt  a  little  awkward,  however,  and 
his  conscience  pricked  him.  He  tried  to  get  out 
of  his  difficulty,  but  could  not  find  words. 

Lukashka  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence. 

**  Say,  have  you  a  house  of  your  own  in 
Russia  t " 

Olyenin  could  not  refrain  from  telling  him 
that  he  had  not  one  house,  merely,  but  several 
houses. 

"  A  handsome  house  t  Larger  than  ours  ? " 
Lukashka  asked,  good-naturedly. 

"  Much  larger !  ten  times  as  large ;  three 
stories  high,"  explaine4   Olyenin. 

'  During  expeditions,  officers  are  accompanied  by  a  drabant 
(trabant),  who  serves  somewhat  in  the  capacity  of  a  body-guard. 
Author^s  note  in  text. 


ig6  THE   COSSACKS. 

*'  But  have  you  such  horses  as  we  have  ? " 

"  I  have  a  hundred  head  of  horses,  worth  three 
hundred  —  four  hundred  rubles  apiece  ;  but  they 
aren't  such  horses  as  those  you  have  here. 
Three  hundred  silver  rubles !  Trotters,  you 
know  .  .  .  But  I  like  those  here   much   better." 

"  What  made  you  come  here  ?  was  it  of  your 
own  free  will  or  not  ? "  asked  Lukashka,  still 
preserving  a  tone  of  raillery  in  his  voice. 
"  Here's  where  you  missed  your  way,"  he  added, 
pointing  to  a  path  by  which  they  were  passing ; 
"you  should  have  turned  to  the  right." 

*^  Yes,  I  came  of  my  own  free  will,"  replied 
Olyenin ;  "  I  was  anxious  to  see  your  country, 
to  take  part  in   expeditions." 

"  I  should  like  to  go  right  off  on  an  expedi- 
tion," exclaimed  Luka.  "  Hark  !  hear  the  jackals 
howl,"  he  added,  listening. 

"  But  wasn't  it  terrible  to  you  to  have  killed 
a  man  t  "  asked  Olyenin. 

"What  should  I  be  afraid  of.?  But  I  should 
like  to  go  on  an  expedition  !  "  repeated  Lukashka. 
"  How  I  long  to  !     How  I  long  to  !  " 

**  Perhaps  we  can  go  together.  Our  regiment 
will  start  before  the  holiday  and  our  company 
also  with  it." 

"  But  the  idea  of   coming   here   of   your   own 


THE   COSSACKS. 


197 


accord  !  When  you  have  a  house,  and  horses 
and  serfs.  I  would  have  had  a  good  time,  a 
good  time  !  Yes,  and  I  would  never  have  come 
here.     What  is  your  rank  }  " 

"  I  am  a  yunker,  but  already  presented  for 
promotion." 

"  Well,  if  you  aren't  bragging  about  the  way 
you  live  at  home,  then  I  should  not  have  come 
away.     Do  you  like  to  live  here  with  us  ? " 

"  Yes,  very  much,"  said  Olyenin. 

It  was  already  quite  dark  when,  talking  thus 
confidentially,  they  reached  the  village.  The 
thick  blackness  of  the  forest  still  surrounded 
them.  The  wind  roared  in  the  high  tree-tops. 
The  jackals  seemed  to  be  right  at  their  heels, 
howling,  laughing,  and  yelling.  But  in  front  of 
them,  in  the  village,  were  already  to  be  heard 
the  voices  of  women  talking,  the  barking  of 
dogs,  and  they  could  clearly  distinguish  the 
outlines  of  the  cottages  ;  lights  gleamed  in  the 
windows ;  the  air  was  heavy,  heavy  with  the  pe- 
culiar odor  of  burning  dung. 

The  feeling  came  over  Olyenin,  especially  this 
evening,  that  here  in  this  village  was  his  home, 
his  family,  all  his  happiness,  and  that  he  had 
never  lived,  and  never  should  live  again,  so  hap- 
pily as  in  this  village. 


198  THE   COSSACKS, 

What  a  strong  affection  he  felt  for  them  all, 
and  especially  for  Lukashka,  that  evening ! 

When  he  got  home,  Olyenin,  to  Lukashka's 
great  amazement,  went  himself  into  the  stable 
and  brought  out  the  horse  which  he  had 
bought  in  Groznaya, — not  the  one  which  he  al- 
ways rode  himself,  but  another,  by  no  means 
to  be  despised,  though  he  was  no  longer  young, 
—  and  presented  it  to  Lukashka. 

"  Why  should  you  give  me  that  ? "  asked 
Lukashka.  **  I  have  never  yet  done  you  any 
service." 

"Truly,  it  isn't  worth  anything  to  me,"  insisted 
Olyenin ;  "  take  it,  and  you  will  give  me  some- 
thing sometime.  .  .  .  You  see,  sometime  we  will 
go  on  an  expedition  together." 

Luka  was  bewildered. 

"  Well,  now,  what  does  this  mean  }  Why  isn't 
that  horse  worth  anything } "  said  he,  not  glan- 
cing at  the  animal. 

"Take  it !  take  it !  If  you  do  not  take  it,  you 
will  offend  me.  Vanyusha,  bring  the  gray  to 
him." 

Lukashka  grasped  the  reins. 

"  Well,  I  am  obliged  to  you.  Now,  that's 
something  I  didn't  expect,  that  I  wouldn't  have 
dreamed  of." 


THE  COSSACKS.  1 99 

Olyenin  was  as  happy  as  a  twelve-year-old 
child. 

*'  Fasten  it  here.  It  is  a  good  horse  —  I  bought 
him  in  Groznaya  —  and  a  lively  jumper.  Vanyusha, 
give  us  some  red  wine.     We  will  go  in-doors." 

The  wine  was  brought.  Lukashka  sat  down 
and  took  the  red  wine.  "  If  God  allows  I  will 
also  do  something  for  you,"  said  he,  as  he  drained 
the  glass.     "  What  —  how  shall  I  call  you }  *' 

"Dmitri  Andreyitch." 

**Well,  Mitri  Andreyitch,  God  save  you.  We 
will  be  chums.'  Now,  come  to  us  when  you  can. 
Though  we  are  not  rich,  still  we  are  always  glad 
to  entertain  our  chums.  I  will  go  and  tell  my 
mother ;  if  you  want  anything,  cheese  or  grapes, 
you  shall  have  them.  And  if  you  come  to  the 
cordon,  I  will  help  you  either  in  huntings  or 
across  the  river,  or  anything  you  want.  Here,  the 
other  day,  you  have  no  idea  what  a  splendid  wild- 
boar  I  shot !  I  shared  him  among  the  Cossacks, 
but  if  I'd  known  I  would  have  sent  him  to  you !  " 

"  All  right :  thanks  !  One  thing,  don't  harness 
him  ;  he  won't  be  good  for  riding  if  you  do." 

"  The  idea  of  harnessing  a  horse  !  And  here  I 
will  tell  you  one  thing,"  said  Lukashka,  bending 
down  his  head,  "if  you'd  like,  I   have  a  kunak, 

*  Kunaki. 


200  THE   COSSACKS. 

Girei-Khan ;  he  has  invited  me  to  hunt  on  the 
road  that  leads  down  from  the  mountains,  and  we 
will  go  there  together,  I  wouldn't  give  you  up,  I 
would  be  your  intcridJ'  ' 

"  Let  us  go  ;  let  us  go  sometime." 

Lukashka  seemed  to  be  thoroughly  at  his  ease, 
and  to  understand  Olyenin's  behavior  toward  him. 
The  unaffected  way  in  which  he  took  it  all  for 
granted  surprised  Olyenin,  and  was  not  altogether 
agreeable  to  him.  They  sat  at  table  for  a  long 
time,  and  it  was  late  when  Lukashka,  not  intoxi- 
cated, for  he  never  entirely  lost  his  head,  but 
carrying  a  good  deal  of  wine,  pressed  Olyenin's 
hand,  and  left  him. 

Olyenin  looked  out  of  the  window  to  see  what 
he  would  do.  Lukashka  went  by  softly,  with  his 
head  bent  down.  Then,  after  leading  the  horse 
out  of  the  gate,  he  suddenly  shook  his  head, 
leaped  on  his  back  with  the  agility  of  a  cat,  gave 
him  free  rein,  and  dashed,  with  a  wild  cry,  down 
the  street.  Olyenin  supposed  that  he  would  go 
and  share  his  happiness  with  Maryanka ;  he  did 
not  do  so,  still  he  felt  happier  than  he  had  ever 
before  felt  in  his  life.  He  was  as  blithe  as  a 
child,  and  could  not  refrain  from  telling  Vanyusha 

*  The  murid  is  a  fanatical  sect  among  the  Mahometans, 
whose  special  duty  it  is  to  exterminate  Christians. 


THE   COSSACKS. 


20 1 


not  only  how  he  had  given  the  horse  to  Lukashka, 
but  also  what  induced  him  to  do  so,  and  from 
explaining  to  him  all  his  new  theory  of  happiness. 
Vanyusha  did  not  approve  of  this  theory,  and 
explained  that  he  had  no  money  to  throw  away  — 
larzhan  ilnyapa  —  and  therefore  this  was  all 
foolishness. 

Lukashka  galloped  home,  sprang  down  from 
the  horse,  and  turned  it  over  to  his  mother,  bid- 
ding her  put  him  out  to  pasture  with  the  other 
Cossack  horses  ;  he  himself  was  obliged  to  return 
that  very  night  to  the  cordon.  The  dumb  girl 
came  out  to  lead  awav  the  horse,  and  made  si^rns 
to  show  that  she  would  throw  herself  at  the  feet 
of  the  man  who  gave  him  the  horse,  as  soon  as 
ever  she  saw  him.  The  old  mother  only  shook 
her  head  at  her  son's  story,  and  in  the  bottom  of 
her  heart  was  convinced  that  Lukashka  had 
stolen  the  animal,  and  therefore  bade  the  dumb 
girl  take  him  to  pasture  before  it  was  daylight. 

Lukashka  went  alone  to  the  cordon,  and  his 
thoughts  were  all  the  time  busy  with  the  meaning 
of  Olyenin's  action.  Although  the  horse  was  not 
a  good  one,  in  his  judgment,  still  it  was  worth  at 
least  forty  moneta,  and  he  was  very  glad  of  the 
gift.  But  why  the  stranger  had  conferred  this  gift 
upon  him  he  could  not  comprehend,  and  therefore 


202  THE   COSSACKS. 

he  did  not  feel  the  slightest  sense  of  gratitude. 
On  the  contrary,  his  head  was  filled  with  obscure 
suspicions  in  regard  to  the  yunker's  intentions. 
He  could  not  explain  what  these  designs  were, 
but  it  seemed  impossible  to  admit  the  thought 
that  a  perfect  stranger,  out  of  mere  kindness  of 
heart,  for  no  consideration  in  return,  should  pre- 
sent him  with  a  horse  worth  forty  rubles.  If  he 
had  been  drunk,  then  it  would  have  been  compre- 
hensiblej  the  desire  to  show  off  would  have 
explained  it.  But  the  yunker  was  sober,  and 
therefore  it  looked  as  though  he  wanted  to  bribe 
him  to  do  some  dirty  work. 

'*  Well,  you're  mistaken  !  "  said  Lukashka  to 
himself.  "  I've  got  the  horse  and  we  shall  see 
what  will  come  of  it.  I  am  no  fool.  It  takes 
some  sharpness  to  outwit  a  fellow.  We  shall 
see." 

In  trying  to  persuade  himself  that  he  should 
have  to  be  on  his  guard  against  Olyenin,  he 
worked  himself  into  a  genuinely  hostile  feeling 
toward  him.  He  told  no  one  how  he  got  his 
horse.  To  one  he  said  he  had  bought  him  ;  he 
parried  the  questions  of  others  with  ambiguous 
answers.  At  the  village,  however,  the  truth  was 
soon  known.  Lukashka's  mother,  Maryanka,  Ilya 
Vasilyevitch,    and    other    Cossacks,   when    they 


THE   COSSACKS.  203 

learned  about  Olyenin's  incomprehensible  gift, 
were  astonished  and  began  to  be  afraid  of  the 
yunker.  And  yet  this  action  of  his  aroused  in 
them  great  respect  for  his  simplicity  and  wealth. 

*'  Did  you  know,  that  yunker  who's  staying  at 
Ilya  Vasilyevitch's  has  given  Lukashka  a  horse 
worth  fifty  moneta,"  said  one.  **He  must  be 
rich  !  " 

"  I  have  heard  about  it,"  replied  the  other,  sig- 
nificantly. "  It  must  be  for  some  favor  though. 
We  shall  see,  we  shall  see  what  will  come  of  it. 
That's  the  Urvan's  luck  !  " 

"  They're  a  sly  set,  those  yunkers,  curse  'em  !  " 
remarked  a  third.  **  He'll  get  him  into  some 
trouble." 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

Glyenin's  life  ran  on  smoothly,  monotonously. 
He  had  little  to  do  with  his  superiors  or  his  com* 
rades.  The  position  of  a  wealthy  yunker  in  the 
Caucasus  is  remarkably  advantageous  in  this 
respect.  He  is  not  required  to  work  and  he  is 
not  required  to  drill.  As  a  reward  for  his  services 
during  the  expedition,  he  had  been  recommended 
for  promotion  as  a  regular  officer,  and  he  was 
left  in  peace  until  the  promotion  was  ratified. 

The  officers  looked  upon  him  as  an  aristocrat, 
and  therefore  kept  on  their  dignity  towards  him. 
The  officers'  card-playing,  drinking  bouts,  and 
song-parties,  in  which  he  had  taken  part  on  the 
frontier,  had  no  attraction  for  him,  and  he  held 
aloof  from  the  officers'  society  and  their  life  in 
the  village. 

The  life  of  officers  in  the  stanitsas,  or  Cossack 
villages,  has  for  many  years  had  its  peculiar  feat- 
ures.  Just  as  every  yunker  or  officer  at  the  out- 
posts regularly  drinks  porter,  plays  faro,  and  talks 
about  rewards  and  expeditions,  so,  when  they 
come  down  into   the   Cossack  villages,  they  regu- 

204 


THE   COSSACKS. 


205 


larly  drink  Caucasian  wine  with  their  landlords, 
treat  the  Cossack  girls  to  sweetmeats  and  honey, 
flirt  with  them,  and  fall  in  love  with  them  ;  some- 
times they  go  so  far  as  to  marry  them. 

Olyenin  had  always  lived  in  his  own  way  and 
had  an  involuntary  aversion  to  beaten  tracks. 
And  here  also  he  did  not  follow  in  the  ruts  laid 
down  for  the  life  of  the  officers  in  the  Caucasus. 

It  came  natural  to  him  to  wake  with  the  sun. 
After  drinking  his  tea  and  coming  out  on  his 
porch  to  admire  the  mountains,  the  beauty  of  the 
morning,  Maryanka,  he  would  put  on  his  ox-skin 
zipun,  the  well  soaked  footgear  called  porshni, 
belt  on  his  dagger,  take  his  gun  and  a  pouch  of 
lunch  and  tobacco,  call  his  dog,  and,  at  six  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  be  off  into  the  forest  back  of  the 
village. 

Toward  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  he  would 
return  weary,  hungry,  with  five  or  six  pheasants 
at  his  belt,  sometimes  with  larger  game,  and  often 
with  the  lunch  and  cigarettes  in  his  pouch  un- 
touched. If  the  thoughts  in  his  brain  had  been 
disposed  like  the  cigarettes  in  his  pouch,  it  could 
have  been  readily  seen  that  during  all  these  four- 
teen hours  of  wandering  not  one  thought  had 
been  disturbed.  He  would  come  back  morally 
fresh,  vigorous,  and    perfectly    happy.     It   would 


2o6  THE   COSSACKS. 

have  been  impossible  for  him  to  tell  what  he  had 
been  thinking  about.  It  was  not  thoughts,  it  was 
not  recollections,  it  was  not  fancies,  that  fer- 
mented in  his  brain,  —  it  was  snatches  of  each  and 
all  that  he  recalled  when  he  asked  himself  what 
he  had  been  thinking  about  all  day.  Now  he 
would  imagine  himself  a  Cossack  working  in  the 
gardens  with  his  Cossack  spouse,  or  an  abrek  in 
the  mountains,  or  the  wild-boar,  even,  now  running 
from  before  him.  And  all  the  time  he  would  be 
listening,  waiting,  watching  for  a  pheasant,  a  boar, 
or  a  stag. 

Evenings,  Uncle  Yeroshka  invariably  came  and 
sat  with  him.  Vanyusha  would  bring  a  gallon  of 
red  wine,  and  they  would  sit  quietly  chatting  and 
drinking,  and  then  separate  with  mutual  satisfac- 
tion. The  next  day  the  chase  once  more,  once 
more  the  wholesome  weariness,  once  more  the 
after-dinner  tipple,  and  once  more  the  feeling  of 
content  and  happiness.  Some  holidays  or  days  of 
res^  he  would  spend  the  whole  time  at  home. 
Then  his  principal  pursuit  would  be  watching  Mar- 
yanka,  whose  every  motion,  without  being  aware  of 
it  himself,  he  would  eagerly  follow  from  his  windows 
or  the  porch.  He  regarded  Maryanka  and  loved 
her  (at  least,  so  he  thought)  just  as  he  loved  the 
beauty  of  the  mountains  and  the  sky,  and  he  had 


THE   COSSACKS.  20/ 

no  thought  of  coming  into  closer  relations  with 
her.  It  seemed  to  him  that  it  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion for  relations  to  exist  between  them  such  as 
were  possible  between  her  and  the  Cossack  Lu- 
kashka,  and  still  less  such  as  existed  between  rich 
officers  and  Cossack  maidens.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  if  he  attempted  to  do  what  his  comrades  did 
he  would  exchange  his  perfect  happiness  and  peace 
of  mind  for  an  abyss  of  torments,  disenchant- 
ments,  and  regrets. 

Besides,  he  felt  that  in  behaving  as  he  did 
toward  this  charming  young  woman  he  was  ac- 
complishing a  sort  of  self-renunciation,  which  gave 
him  an  equal  amount  of  pleasure,  and,  above  all, 
because  he  stood  in  awe  of  Maryanka,  and  nothing 
would  have  induced  him  to  speak  a  word  of  unwor- 
thy love. 

One  summer  day  Olyenin  did  not  go  hunting, 
and  was  staying  at  home.  Most  unexpectedly  an 
acquaintance  of  his,  a  very  young  man,  whom 
he  had  met  in  Moscow  society,  came  to  call  upon 
him. 

"  Ah,  moil  cker,  m'y  dear  fellow,  how  glad  I  am 
to  find  you  here,"  he  began,  in  his  Moscow  mixture 
of  Russian  and  French,  and  so  he  went  on  inter- 
larding his  talk  with  French  expressions.  "  I 
heard  some  one  talking  about  Olyenin.  —  What 


2o8  -  '^^t^ii   COSSACKS, 

Olyenin  ?  —  How  glad  I  was  to  know  that  you 
were  here.  .  .  .  Now,  Fate  must  have  brought  us 
together.  .  .  .  Well,  and  how  are  you  }  What  are 
you  doing  }     What  are  you  here  for  .?  " 

And  Prince  Byeletsky  told  his  whole  story :  how 
he  had  been  sent  for  a  time  to  join  this  regiment, 
how  the  commander-in-chief  had  invited  him  to  be 
on  his  staff,  and  how  he  was  going  to  accept  after 
the  campaign  was  over,  though  he  felt  very  little 
interest  in  it. 

**  If  one  serves  here  in  this  wilderness,  he  must 
at  least  make  a  career  .  .  .  get  a  cross  .  .  .  rank 
.  .  .  get  promoted  to  the  Guards.  All  that  is  in- 
dispensable for  me  —  if  not  for  myself,  at  least  for 
the  sake  of  my  relatives,  of  my  friends.  The 
prince  received  me  very  cordially.  He's  a  thor- 
ough gentleman,"  said  Byeletsky,  all  in  a  breath. 

"  I  was  presented  for  the  Anna  after  the  expe- 
dition. And  now  I  am  going  to  stay  here  till 
the  campaign  opens.  It's  splendid  here.  What 
women  !  Well,  and  how  are  you  getting  along  ? 
Our  captain,  —  you  know  Startsef  .  .  .  he's  a 
good-hearted  stupid  fellow  ...  he  told  me  that 
you  were  living  here  like  a  terrible  savage,  that 
you  don't  have  anything  to  do  with  any  one  of 
them.  I  could  very  well  understand  that  you 
would  not  care  to  have  much  intercourse  with  the 


THE  COSSACKS.       .  '  209 

officers  here.  I  am  glad  of  it ;  you  and  I  will  see 
a  good  deal  of  each  other.  I  am  lodging  at  the 
sergeant's.  What  a  girl  there  is  there,  Ustenka  ! 
I  tell  you,  she  is  a  beauty  ! " 

And  ever  more  and  more  frequently  French, 
and  Russian  words  were  bandied  about  from  that 
world  upon  which  Olyenin  believed  he  had  for- 
ever turned  his  back.  The  general  impression 
of  Byeletsky  was  that  he  was  a  pleasant,  good- 
natured  young  man.  Very  likely  he  really  was ; 
but  the  sight  of  him  to  Olyenin  was  decidedly  dis- 
agreeable notwithstanding  his  handsome,  kindly 
face ;  and  the  reason  was  that  he  was  redolent  of 
all  that  detested  life  which  he  had  renounced.  It 
was  still  more  vexatious  to  him  to  feel  it  utterly 
beyond  his  powers  to  give  the  cut  direct  to  this 
man  from  that  world,  as  though  that  old  world  to 
which  he  had  formerly  belonged  had  still  some 
irresistible  claim  upon  him.  He  was  vexed  with 
Byeletsky^  and  with  himself,  but  still  he  inter- 
larded his  conversation  with  French  phrases,  as- 
sumed an  interest  in  the  commander-in-chief  and 
his  Moscow  acquaintances,  and  as  a  result  of  the 
fact  that  both  of  them  spoke  in  this  French  dia- 
lect he  expressed  himself  contemptuously  about 
his  brother  officers,  about  the  Cossacks,  and  in 
the  most  friendly  manner  bade  good-bye  to  Byelet- 


2IO  THE   COSSACKS. 

sky,  promising  to  come  to  see  him  and  urging  him 
to  drop  in  often. 

Olyenin,  however,  did  not  fulfil  his  promise, 
but  Vanyusha  approved  of  Byeletsky,  declaring 
that  he  was  a  genuine  barin. 

Byeletsky  immediately  plunged  into  the  usual 
life  of  a  wealthy  officer  in  a  Cossack  village  in 
the  Caucasus.  To  Olyenin's  eyes,  he  appeared, 
in  less  than  a  month,  like  an  old  inhabitant  of  the 
village.  He  treated  the  old  men,  he  had  parties 
for  the  girls,  and  went  in  turn  to  their  parties, 
boasted  of  his  conquests,  and,  indeed,  it  came  to 
this,  that  the  village  girls  and  women,  for  some 
reason,  called  him  dyedushka,  little  grandfather, 
while  the  Cossacks,  who  have  no  trouble  in  set- 
tling the  status  of  a  man  who  likes  wine  and 
women,  took  to  him,  and  even  liked  him  better 
than  Olyenin,  who  was  an  enigma  to  them. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

It  was  five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Vanyusha 
on  the  doorstep  of  the  cottage  was  fanning  the 
samovar  with  his  boot  leg.  Olyenin  had  already 
ridden  down  to  the  Terek  for  a  bath.  He  had 
lately  conceived  the  new  amusement  of  swimming 
his  horse  in  the  river.  Dame  Ulitka  was  in  her 
dairy,  from  the  chimney  of  which  arose  the  black, 
thick  smoke  of  the  just  kindled  oven  ;  the  maiden 
was  in  the  shed,  milking  the  cow  buffalo.  "  Won't 
you  stand  quiet,  curse  you ! "  rang  her  impatient 
voice,  and  then  followed  the  regular  sound  of  the 
milking. 

On  the  street,  near  the  house,  were  heard  the 
lively  steps  of  a  horse,  and  Olyenin,  riding  bare- 
back on  a  handsome  dark  gray  horse,  shining  with 
wet,  rode  up  to  the  gates.  Maryana's  handsome 
head,  bound  with  a  red  kerchief  (called  sorotchka), 
looked  out  of  the  shed  and  was  quickly  drawn 
back.  Olyenin  wore  a  red  silk  Kanaus  shirt,  a 
white  cherkeska,  from  the  belt  of  which  hung- 
a  dagger,  and  a  high  lambskin  hat.  He  sat  rather 
^self-consciously  on  the  wet  back  of  his  comforta- 


212  THE   COSSACKS. 

ble-looking  horse,  and,  with  his  gun  over  his 
shoulder,  bent  down  to  open  the  gate. 

His  hair  was  still  wet,  his  face  shone  with  youth 
and  health.  He  felt  that  he  was  handsome, 
clever,  and  like  a  jigit  ;  but  in  this  he  was  mis- 
taken. Any  experienced  Cossack  would  have 
known  at  a  glance  that  he  was  a  soldier. 

He  noticed  the  girl's  face  peering  out,  and,  hav- 
ing opened  the  plaited  gate,  he  dashed  into  the 
yard,  pulling  on  the  bridle  and  cracking  the  whip. 

"  Tea  ready,  Vanyusha  }  "  he  shouted,  cheerily, 
not  glancing  at  the  door  of  the  shed. 

"  C^  pre,"  replied  Vanyusha. 

How  satisfied  he  felt,  as,  quivering  in  every 
muscle,  he  reined  in  his  beautiful  steed,  which,  all 
ready  to  leap  the  hedge,  pranced  gayly  on  the  dry 
clay  of  the  courtyard.  Olyenin  imagined  that 
Maryana's  l6vely  eyes  were  still  looking  at  him 
from  the  shed,  but  he  did  not  turn  to  see.  Leap- 
ing down  from  the  horse,  he  caught  his  gun  on 
the  step,  made  an  awkward  attempt  to  regain  his 
balance,  and  looked  in  alarm  toward  the  shed,  but 
no  one  was  to  be  seen,  and  only  the  regular  sound 
of  the  milking  was  to  be  heard. 

He  went  into  his  room,  and,  in  a  few  moments, 
came  out  again  with  a  book  and  his  pipe,  and  sat 
down,    with  his  glass  of  tea,  on  the  side  of   the 


THE   COSSACKS,  213 

porch  not  yet  reached  by  the  oblique  rays  of 
the  morning  sun.  He  resolved  not  to  go  out  be- 
fore dinner,  that  day,  and  had  counted  on  writing 
some  long  neglected  letters.  But  for  some  rea- 
son he  felt  disinclined  to  leave  his  comfortable 
place  on  the  porch,  and  to  shut  himself  up  in  his 
room  as  in  a  prison.  Dame  Ulitka  had  finished 
building  her  fire ;  Maryanka  had  milked  the  cows, 
and  had  now  come  out  and  was  collecting  future 
fuel  for  the  oven. 

Olyenin  had  his  book  open  before  him,  but  he 
paid  little  heed  to  what  was  printed  on  its  pages. 
He  kept  lifting  his  eyes  from  it  and  gazing  at  the 
powerful  young  woman  working  there  before  him. 
Whether  she  came  into  the  moist  morning  shad- 
ows near  the  house,  or  went  along  through  the 
yard,  flooded  with  the  cheerful  brightness  of  the 
early  sun,  —  her  symmetrical  form,  clad  in  bright 
colors,  shining  in  the  light  and  casting  a  long 
shadow, — he  was  afraid  of  missing  the  least  of 
her  motions. 

It  was  a  pleasure  to  him  to  see  with  what  freedom 
and  grace  she  moved  about ;  how  her  pink  shirt,  her 
only  garment,  fell  in  artistic  lines  over  her  bosom 
and  along  her  shapely  legs  ;  how  she  bent  over 
and  drew  up  to  her  full  height  again,  and  how 
under  the  tightening  garment  the   firm   lines    of 


214 


THE   COSSACKS. 


her  heaving  breast  stood  forth  ;  how  her  slender 
feet,  shod  in  old  red  slippers  of  good  form  still, 
were  planted  on  the  ground  ;  how  her  strong  arms, 
with  sleeves  tucked  up  and  showing  all  the  play  of 
the  muscles,  moved  the  shovel,  impatiently  as  it 
were,  and  how  her  deep  black  eyes  sometimes 
gazed  up  at  him.  Even  though  the  fine  lines  of 
the  brows  were  contracted,  still  her  eyes  betrayed 
a  conscious  satisfaction  of  their  beauty. 

"  Hollo,  Olyenin.  Have  you  been  up  long } " 
said  Byeletsky,  in  the  frock  coat  of  the  Cau- 
casian officer,  coming  into  the  yard  and  joining 
Olyenin. 

"Ah!  Byeletsky!"  returned  Olyenin,  offering 
his  hand.     "  How  are  you  out  so  early  ? " 

"  What  could  I  do .?  I  was  driven  out.  We 
are  going  to  have  a  ball  at  my  house  to-night. 
Maryana,  of  course  you're  coming  to  Ustenka's," 
he  continued,  turning  to  the  girl. 

Olyenin  was  amazed  at  the  easy  familiarity  with 
which  Byeletsky  addressed  this  young  woman. 
But  Maryana,  pretending  not  to  hear,  bent  her 
head,  and,  throwing  the  shovel  over  her  shoulder, 
went  into  the  dairy  with  quick,  strong  steps. 

"  You're  bashful,  sister,  you're  bashful,"  cried 
Byeletsky  after  her.  "  She's  afraid  of  you,"  and, 
smiling  gayly,  he  ran  up  the  steps. 


THE  COSSACKS.  21 5 

"  What  do  you  mean  :  You're  *  going  to  have  a 
ball '  ? " 

"  At  Ustenka's,  where  I  live,  a  ball,  and  you  are 
invited.  A  ball  —  that  is,  a  collection  of  cakes  and 
maidens  ! " 

"  Well,  what  should  we  do  there  ?  " 

Byeletsky  smiled  slyly,  and  with  a  wink 
nodded  toward  the  dairy,  where  Maryanka  had 
gone. 

Olyenin  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  reddened. 
**  By  God,  you  are  a  strange  man ! "  said  he. 
"Well,  tell  us  about  it." 

He  was  frowning.  Byeletsky  noticed  it  ;  a 
cunning  smile  hovered  over  his  lips.  "  Why,  it's 
natural,"  said  he  ;  "  here  you  are  living  in  the 
same  house  with  her ;  and  such  a  splendid  girl,  a 
glorious  girl  ...  a  perfect  beauty.  .  .   ." 

"  She  is  a  wonderful  beauty.  I  never  saw  such 
women  !  "  exclaimed  Olyenin. 

"  Well,  what  of  it  t "  asked  Byeletsky,  absolutely 
failing  to  understand. 

"It  may  be  strange,"  replied  Olyenin,  "but 
why  should  I  not  tell  things  as  they  are }  Since  I 
have  been  living  here,  women  have,  as  it  were, 
ceased  to  exist  for  me.  And  it  is  good  and  right 
so.  For  what  on  earth  can  there  be  in  common 
between  us  and   these   women  ?  .  .  .  Yeroshka } 


2l6  THE   COSSACKS. 

That  is  another  thing ;  he  and  I  have  a  common 
passion  —  hunting." 

"  Just  hear  him  !  What  in  common  ?  What  is 
there  in  common  between  me  and  the  Amalia 
Ivanovnas  ?  It's  precisely  the  same  thing.  Ad- 
mit they  are  rather  dirty ;  but  that's  a  mere 
matter  of  taste.  A  la  guerre^  comme  a  la 
guerre  !  " 

"  Well,  I  have  never  known  your  Amalia  Ivan- 
ovnas, and  could  never  get  along  with  them," 
replied  Olyenin.  "  But  it  is  impossible  to  respect 
them,  but  these  here  I  do  respect." 

"  All  right,  respect  them  !  what's  to  hinder  }  "^ 

Olyenin  made  no  reply.  He  was  evidently 
anxious  to  finish  what  he  had  begun  to  say.  It 
lay  too  heavy  a  burden  on  his  heart. 

*'I  know  that  I~am  an  exception,"  he  went  on, 
evidently  somewhat  embarrassed,  "but  my  life 
has  been  so  constituted  that  I  not  only  see  no 
necessity  of  changing  my  principles,  but  I  could 
not  —  I  do  not  say  live  as  happily  as  I  do  now  —  live 
here  at  all,  if  I  lived  as  you  do.  And  so  I  look 
for  something  and  find  something  quite  different 
in  them  from  what  you  do." 

Byeletsky  imperceptibly  raised  his  eyebrows. 

"All  the  same,  come  to  my  house  this  evening. 
Maryanka  will  be   there   too ;   I   will    make  you 


THE   COSSACKS.  217 

acquainted.  Come,  please  do.  If  you  find  it  a 
bore,  you  can  go  home.     Will  you  come .?" 

**  I  would  come,  but  I  tell  you  truly  I  am  afraid 
of  falling  seriously  in  love." 

"  Oh  !  oh  !  oh  !  "  screamed  Byeletsky.  "  Come, 
all  the  same ;  I  will  look  out  for  you.  Will  you 
come  ?     Word  of  honor  ? " 

"  I  would  come,  but  truly  I  don't  understand 
what  we  are  going  to  do ;  what  role  are  we  going 
to  play .? " 

"  Please,  I  beg  of  you  !     Will  you } " 

**  Yes,  I  will  come,  perhaps  I  will,"  said 
Olyenin. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  the  charmingest  women  in 
the  world,  and  here  you  are  living  like  a  monk  ! 
What  does  hunting  amount  to  }  Why  spoil  your 
life  and  not  get  the  good  that  there  is  }  Have 
you  heard  our  company  is  going  to  Vozdvi- 
zhenskaya  .^ " 

*'  It  isn't  very  likely.  I  was  told  that  the 
eighth  company  would  go,"  said  Olyenin. 

*•  No,  I  have  a  letter  from  the  adjutant.  He 
writes  that  the  prince  himself  will  take  part  in 
the  campaign.  I  am  glad  that  we  shall  meet  him. 
I  am  beginning  to  be  bored  here." 

"  They  say  that  there  will  be  an  incursion  very 


21 8  THE   COSSACKS. 

"  I  hadn't  heard  about  that,  but  I  have  heard 
that  the  Anna  has  come  to  Krinovitsuin  for  his 
work  on  the  last  expedition.  He  expected  to  be 
made  lieutenant,"  remarked  Byeletsky,  with  a 
laugh.  "  There  he  was  disappointed.  He's 
gone  on  the  staff.  .  .  ." 

When  it  began  to  grow  dark,  Olyenin's 
thoughts  turned  to  the  party.  The  invitation 
annoyed  him.  He  wanted  to  go,  but  the  idea 
of  being  present  seemed  strange,  wild,  and 
rather  formidable  to  him.  He  knew  that  no 
Cossacks  or  elderly  women  would  be  there,  but 
only  marriageable  girls.  What  would  it  be  ? 
How  should  he  behave  t  What  should  he  have 
to  talk  about }  What  would  they  say  to  him  } 
What  would  be  the  relations  between  him  and 
these  wild  Cossack  maidens }  Byeletsky  had 
told  him  of  such  strange,  cynical,  and  at  the 
same  time  strict  relations.  ...  It  was  strange 
for  him  to  think  of  being  there  in  the  same  room 
with  Maryana,  and  possibly  of  having  a  chance 
to  talk  with  her.  This  seemed  out  of  the  ques- 
tion when  he  remembered  her  stately  reserve. 
Byeletsky  had  told  him  that  all  this  would  come 
about  of  itself.  **  Is  it  possible  that  Byeletsky  and 
Maryanka   would    keep    company   in    that    way? 


THE   COSSACKS.  219 

It  would  be  interesting,"  he  said  to  himself.  "But 
no,  it  would  be  better  not  to  go.  The  whole  thing 
is  disgusting,  vile,  and  of  no  earthly  use." 

But  once  more  he  was  tormented  by  the  ques- 
tion :  "  What  will  it  be  like } "  and  his  given 
promise,  as  it  were,  compelled  him.  He  went 
out,  still  undecided,  but  he  reached  Byeletsky's 
quarters  and  went  in. 

The  khata  or  Cossack  cabin  in  which  Bye- 
letsky  was  lodged  was  just  like  Olyenin's.  It 
stood  on  pillars  about  a  yard  and  a  half  from 
the  ground,  and  consisted  of  two  rooms.  The 
first,  into  which  Olyenin  entered  by  a  steep  stair- 
case, was  crowded  with  eider-down  beds,  rugs, 
quilts,  and  pillows,  piled  up  in  Cossack  fashion  in 
elegant  and  handsome  arrangement  along  the  wall. 
On  the  side  walls  hung  copper  pans  and  utensils. 
Under  the  bench  lay  watermelons  and  gourds. 

In  the  other  room  was  a  monstrous  oven,  a 
table,  benches,  and  the  ikons  of  the  Old  Be- 
lievers. Here  Byelctsky  was  domiciled  with  his 
folding  bed,  his  well  packed  trunks,  a  rug,  on 
which  hung  his  rifle,  and  various  toilet  articles 
and  portraits  scattered  about.  A  silk  dressing- 
gown  was  flung  upon  a  bench.  Byeletsky  him- 
self, handsome  and  clean,  lay  in  his  shirt  sleeves 
on  his  couch,  reading  Les  Trois  Mousquetaires. 


220  ^^^^   COSSACKS. 

He  jumped  up. 

"  Now,  you  see  how  I  am  established.  Isn't  it 
elegant  ?  Well,  I'm  glad  that  you  have  come. 
They  have  been  carrying  on  tremendous  prepa- 
rations. Do  you  know  how  they  make  their 
pirogi  f  Out  of  dough,  with  pork  and  grapes ! 
But  that  isn't  the  strong  point.  See  what  a 
bustle  they  are  keeping  up." 

Indeed,  as  they  looked  in  through  the  window 
they  perceived  that  an  extraordinary  hubbub  was 
going  on  in  the  landlady's  apartment.  Maidens 
were  constantly  running  in  and  out  from  the  en- 
try, some  with  one  thing,  some  with  another. 

"  Will  it  be  soon  } "  cried  Byeletsky. 

"  Right  away.  Are  you  hungry,  little  grand- 
father .'* "  and  ringing  laughter  followed  this 
sally. 

Ustenka,  plump,  ruddy,  pretty,  with  her  sleeves 
rolled  up,  came  running  into  Byeletsky's  khata 
after  plates. 

"  There,  you  !  you'll  make  me  break  the  plates," 
she  squealed  to  Byeletsky.  "  There,  you  ought 
to  come  and  help,"  she  cried,  with  a  laugh,  ad- 
dressing Olyenin.  "  Lay  in  some  zakiiski  for 
the  girls,"  and  by  zakuski  she  meant  cakes  and 
confectionery. 

"  Has  Maryanka  come }  " 


THE   COSSACKS.  221 

"Of  course  she  has.  She  has  brought  the 
pastry." 

*'  Do  you  know,"  said  Byeletsky,  "  that  if  you 
dressed  up  this  Ustenka,  and  got  her  clean  and 
gave  her  some  jewelry,  she  would  be  prettier  than 
all  our  beauties  !  Have  you  seen  the  Cossack 
beauty  Borshcheva.?  She  married  the  colonel. 
She's  a  stunner!  What  dignity !  Where  she 
got  it  .  .  ." 

"  I  never  saw  the  Borshcheva,  but  in  my  opin- 
ion nothing  could  be  more  becoming  than  their 
costume." 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Byeletsky,  sighing  gayly,  "  I  have 
such  a  faculty  for  getting  along  with  any  kind  of 
life  !  I  am  going  to  see  what  they  are  up  to." 
He  threw  on  his  dressing-gown  and  ran  out. 
"  You  look  out  for  the  zakuski,"  he  shouted  back. 

Olyenin  sent  his  friend's  man  to  buy  cakes  and 
honey,  and  then  suddenly  it  seemed  to  him  so 
disgusting  to  give  him  money,  as  though  he  were 
purchasing  somebody,  that  he  could  give  no  deci- 
sive answer  to  the  man's  question  —  how  many 
lozenges,  how  many  cakes  he  should  get. 

"  Use  your  own  judgment." 

"  For  all  } "  asked  the  old  soldier,  significantly. 
"  Peppermints  are  more  expensive.     They  sell  for 


222  THE   COSSACKS. 

''For  all,  for  all !  "  exclaimed  Olyenin,  and  took 
his  seat  in  the  window,  wondering  why  his  heart 
throbbed  as  though  he  were  on  the  eve  of  some- 
thing serious  and  improper. 

He  listened  to  the  shrieks  and  laughter  that 
arose  in  the  girls*  room  when  Byeletsky  went 
there,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  saw  him  hurrying 
out,  followed  by  shrieks  and  shouts  and  laughter. 

"They  drove  me  out!"  he  exclaimed,  as  he 
came  running  up  the  steps  and  into  the  room. 

In  a  little  while  Ustenka  came  into  the 
khata,  and,  with  great  dignity,  explained  that  all 
was  ready,  and  asked  her  guests  to  honor  them 
with  their  presence. 

When  they  went  into  the  other  apartment, 
everything  was  indeed  ready,  and  Ustenka  was 
engaged  in  arranging  cushions  along  the  side  of  the 
room.  On  the  table,  decked  with  a  disproportion- 
ately diminutive  napkin,  were  set  a  decanter  of 
red  wine  and  a  dried  fish.  The  air  of  the  room 
was  redolent  of  pastry  and  grapes.  Six  young 
maidens  in  their  best  array,  and  without  their 
kerchiefs,  contrary  to  their  usual  custom,  were 
huddled  together  in  the  corner  behind  the  oven, 
whispering,  giggling,  and  laughing. 

"  We  humbly  beg  my  angel  to  share  our  food," 
said  Ustenka,  urging  her  guests  to  draw  up  to  the 
table. 


THE   COSSACKS. 


22S 


Amid  the  throng  of  maidens,  who,  without  ex- 
ception, were  pretty,  Olyenin  quickly  observed 
Maryanka,  and  it  seemed  to  him  painful  and  vexa- 
tious to  meet  her  in  such  wretched  and  awkward 
circumstances.  He  felt  stupid  and  out  of  place, 
but  he  resolved  to  do  as  Byeletsky  did.  The 
young  prince,  with  a  certain  solemnity,  but  at  the 
same  time  with  perfect  ease  and  self-possession, 
went  to  the  table,  drank  a  glass  of  wine  to 
Ustenka's  health,  and  urged  the  others  to  follow 
his  example.  Ustenka  explained  that  young  girls 
did  not  drink  wine. 

"  With  honey  we  might,"  said  a  voice  among  the 
girls. 

Byeletsky  called  in  his  servant,  who  had  just 
returned  from  the  shop  with  honey  and  sweet- 
meats. The  man  looked  out  of  the  corner  of  his 
eyes,  not  enviously,  nor  yet  contemptuously,  at  his 
superiors,  who  in  his  opinion  were  dissipating^ 
carefully  handed  over  the  morsel  of  honeycomb  and 
the  cakes  wrapped  up  in  gray  paper,  and  began 
scrupulously  to  give  an  account  of  the  cost  of  his 
purchases,  but  Byeletsky  drove  him  out. 

After  the  honey  had  been  mixed  with  the  wine 
with  which  the  glasses  were  filled,  and  the  three 
pounds  of  cakes  had  been  poured  out  on  the  table, 
Byeletsky  pulled  the  girls  out  from  the  corner  by 


224 


THE   COSSACKS. 


main  force,  set  them  down  at  the  table,  and  began 
to  distribute  the  good  things  among  them. 

Olyenin  could  not  help  noticing  how  Maryanka 
held  two  round  peppermints  and  a  piece  of  ginger- 
bread in  her  little  sunburned  hand,  uncertain 
what  to  do  with  them.  The  party  was  con- 
strained and  unpleasant,  in  spite  of  the  liveliness 
of  Byeletsky  and  Ustenka,  and  their  efforts  to 
amuse  the  company.  Olyenin  was  ill  at  ease, 
cudgelled  his  brains  for  something  to  say,  was 
conscious  that  he  was  regarded  with  curiosity,  per- 
haps with  amusement,  and  that  he  communicated 
his  constraint  to  the  others.  His  face  flushed,  and 
it  seemed  to  him  that  Maryanka  especially  felt  the 
awkwardness  of  the  situation. 

"  They  are  probably  waiting  for  us  to  give  them 
money,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  How  can  we  give 
it  to  them  t  And  how  can  we  give  it  to  them  as 
soon  as  possible  and  go  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

"  How  is  it  that  you  aren't  acquainted  with 
your  lodger?"  asked  Byeletsky,  turning  to 
Maryanka. 

"  How  can  I  get  acquainted  with  him  when  he 
never  comes  to  see  us  ? "  demanded  Maryana, 
giving  Olyenin  a  glance. 

Olyenin  was  somewhat  abashed  at  this,  gave  a 
start,  and  answered  at  haphazard  :  "  I  was  afraid 
of  your  mother.  She  scolded  me  so  the  first  time 
that  I  went  to  see  you." 

Maryanka  burst  into  a  laugh. 

"And  so  you  were  afraid.? "  she  asked,  looking 
at  him  and  then  turning  away. 

Now,  this  was  the  first  time  that  Olyenin  had 
seen  the  beautiful  girl's  full  face ;  hitherto  it  had 
been  wrapped  up  to  the  eyes  in  her  kerchief.  It 
was  not  without  reason  that  she  was  regarded  as 
the  belle  of  the  village.  Ustenka  was  a  pretty 
little  maiden,  short,  plump,  rosy,  with  jolly 
hazel  eyes,  a  perpetual  smile  on  her  ruddy  lips, 
and    ever    gay   and    chattering.       Maryanka,    on 

225 


226  THE  COSSACKS. 

the  contrary,  could  not  be  called  merely  pretty 
—  she  was  handsome.  Her  features  might  have 
been  considered  rather  too  masculine,  and  al- 
most coarse,  had  it  not  been  for  the  harmo- 
nious proportions  of  her  form  and  her  powerful 
chest  and  shoulders,  and  chiefly  the  severe  and 
yet  affectionate  expression  of  her  wide  black  eyes, 
shining  out  from  under  the  shadow  of  her  dark 
brows,  and  the  friendly  expression  of  the  smile 
that  hovered  over  her  lips.  She  rarely  smiled, 
but  when  she  did,  for  that  very  reason,  her  smile 
was  alv/ays  effective.  Her  whole  being  was  in- 
stinct with  strength  and  health. 

All  the  maidens  were  pretty ;  but  all  of  them 
and  Byeletsky,  and  the  servant,  who  came  with 
the  sweetmeats,  were  irresistibly  drawn  toward 
Maryana,  and,  when  they  addressed  the  girls, 
naturally  turned  to  her. 

She  seemed  like  a  proud  and  serene  tsaritsa 
among  the  rest. 

Byeletsky,  in  his  endeavors  to  make  the  party  a 
success,  did  not  cease  to  chatter ;  he  urged  the 
maidens  to  pass  round  the  wine,  cracked  jokes 
with  them,  and  constantly  made  indecorous  re- 
marks in  French  to  Olyenin  about  Maryanka's 
beauty,  calling  her  "yours  "  —  la  votre  —  and  urg- 
ing him  to  follow  his  example. 


THE   COSSACKS.  22/ 

But  Olyenin  found  it  more  and  more  insupport- 
able. 

He  was  trying  to  devise  some  pretext  for  mak- 
ing his  escape  and  running  off,  when  Byeletsky 
proclaimed  that  Ustenka,  whose  name-day  they 
were  celebrating,  must  carry  round  thfe  wine  with 
kisses.  She  consented,  but  on  this  condition,  that 
money  should  be  put  into  her  plate-tray,  as  the 
custom  is  at  weddings. 

"  The  devil  himself  brought  me  into  this  dis- 
gusting affair,"  said  Olyenin  to  himself,  and  he 
got  up  with  the  intention  of  leaving. 

"  Where  are  you  going  }  " 

"  I  am  going  to  get  my  tobacco,"  said  he,  with 
the  intention  of  running  away,  but  Byeletsky  de- 
tained him  by  the  arm. 

"  I  have  money,"  said  he  in  French. 

"  It's  impossible  to  get  away,  I  must  pay," 
thought  Olyenin,  and  he  felt  much  annoyed  at  his 
own  lack  of  tact. 

"  Is  it  possible  that  I  can't  do  as  Byeletsky 
does  }  I  ought  not  to  have  come,  but,  now  that  I 
am  here,  I  have  no  right  to  spoil  their  fun.  I 
must  drink  in  the  Cossack  style,"  and,  seizing  a 
chaptiruy  a  wooden  cup,  containing  about  eight 
glasses,  he  filled  it  with  wine  and  drained  it  at  a 
draught.    The  maidens  looked  on  with  amazement, 


228  ^-^^   COSSACKS. 

and  almost  with  terror,  while  he  was  drinking. 
This  seemed  to  them  strange  and  unseemly.  Us- 
tenka  brought  him  still  more  in  a  glass  and  kissed 
both  him  and  Byeletsky. 

"  Now,  girls,  we  can  have  a  good  time,"  said  she, 
jingling  on  the  plate  the  four  moneta,  which  had 
been  contributed. 

Olyenin  no  longer  felt  any  sense  of  constraint. 
His  tongue  was  unloosed. 

**Well,  Maryanka,  now  it's  your  turn  to  pass 
the  glass  with  kisses,"  said  Byeletsky,  catching 
her  by  the  hand. 

**  I'll  kiss  you  this  way,"  said  she,  feigning  to 
box  his  ears. 

"  You  can  kiss  the  little  grandfather  even  with- 
out any  money,"  suggested  another  maiden. 

"•  Sensible  girl !  "  cried  Byeletsky,  and  he  caught 
and  kissed  the  struggling  maiden. 

"  Come,  but  you  must  pass  the  wine,"  insisted 
Byeletsky,  returning  to  Maryana ;  "  pass  it  to 
your  lodger ! " 

And,  seizing  her  by  the  hand,  he  led  her 
to  the  bench  and  made  her  sit  down  beside  Ol- 
yenin. 

"  See,  what  a  pretty  girl ! "  said  he,  turning  her 
head  so  as  to  show  her  profile. 

Maryana   made   no   resistance,  but   she   smiled 


THE  COSSACKS.  229 

proudly,  and  turned  her  big  black  eyes  on  Ol- 
yenin. 

"  A  perfect  beauty  !  "  repeated  Byeletsky. 

"  See  what  a  beauty  I  am  !  "  Maryana's  glance 
seemed  also  to  say. 

Olyenin,  not  realizing  what  he  was  doing,  threw 
his  arm  around  Maryana  and  tried  to  kiss  her,  but 
she  suddenly  tore  herself  away,  nearly  knocked 
Byeletsky  over,  pulled  the  cloth  from  the  table, 
and  darted  behind  the  oven.  Screams  and  laugh- 
ter arose.  Byeletsky  whispered  something  to  the 
girls,  and  suddenly  they  all  rushed  out  of  the 
room  into  the  entry,  and  shut  the  door  behind 
them. 

"  Why  did  you  kiss  Byeletsky  and  won't  kiss 
me  } "  asked  Olyenin. 

"  Well,  I  don't  want  to,  and  that's  the  end  of 
it,"  said  she,  drawing  up  her  under  lip  and  frown- 
ing. "  He's  the  little  grandfather,"  she  added, 
smiling.  She  went  to  the  door  and  began  to 
pound  on  it.  "  What  did  you  lock  the  door  for, 
you  devils  } " 

"  Come,  let  them  be  there,  and  we'll  stay  here," 
said  Olyenin,  drawing  close  to  her. 

She  frowned  again,  and  pushed  him  severely 
away  from  her.  And  again  she  seemed  to  him  so 
magnificently  beautiful  that  it  recalled  him  to  his 


230 


THE   COSSACKS. 


senses,  and  he  felt  ashamed  of  what  he  was  doing. 
He  went  to  the  door  and  tried  to  pull  it  open. 

"  Byeletsky,  open  the  door !  what  made  you 
play  such  a  stupid  trick  on  us  ? " 

Maryana  again  broke  out  into  her  fresh,  happy 
laugh.     "  Ai !  are  you  afraid  of  me  ?  "   said  she. 

"  Yes,  because  you  are  cross,  like  your  mother." 

"  Well,  if  you  would  only  sit  more  with 
Yeroshka,  then  the  girls  would  begin  to  like  you 
better,"  said  she,  ironically,  and  smiled,  looking 
him  straight  into  the  eyes. 

He  knew  not  what  reply  to  make. 

"  But  suppose  I  should  come  to  see  you  1  *'  said 
he,  as  though  suddenly. 

**  That  would  be  another  thing,"  she  returned, 
shaking  her  head. 

At  this  instant  Byeletsky  gave  a  push  to  the 
door  and  opened  it,  and  Maryana  sprang  away 
from  Olyenin,  in  such  a  way  that  her  hip  struck 
against  his  leg. 

"  It's  all  rubbish,  what  I  have  been  thinking  ; 
my  ideas  of  love,  and  self-renunciation,  and  Lu- 
kashka.  The  one  thing  is  happiness ;  the  man 
who  is  happy  is  justified,"  flashed  through  Olye- 
nin's  head,  and,  with  a  strength  that  surprised 
even  himself,  he  took  the  beautiful  Maryanka  in 
his  arms  and  kissed  her  on  her  temple  and  cheek. 


THE   COSSACKS. 


231 


The   girl   was   not   angry,  but   only  burst  into  a 
hearty  laugh  and  ran  off  to  the  other  girls. 

This  was  the  end  of  the  party.  Ustenka's 
mother  came  home  from  her  work,  and  the  old 
dame  scolded  the  maidens  and  sent  them  home. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

"Yes,"  thought  Olyenin,  as  he  turned  his  steps 
homeward,  "  all  I  should  need  to  do  would  be  to 
give  free  rein,  and  I  might  fall  foolishly  in  love 
with  this  Cossack  girl." 

He  went  to  sleep  with  this  thought,  but  imag- 
ined that  this  folly  would  pass  and  that  he  should 
return  to  his  old  life.  The  old  life  did  not  return, 
however.  His  relations  to  Maryanka  were 
changed.  The  partition  which  had  formerly  sepa- 
rated them  was  broken  down.  Olyenin  always 
exchanged  greetings  with  her  now,  when  they 
met. 

The  ensign  came  to  collect  his  rent,  and,  hav- 
ing been  informed  of  Olyenin's  wealth  and  gener- 
osity, invited  him  to  come  in  and  see  them. 

The  old  dame  gave  him  a  flattering  reception, 
and,  from  the  day  of  the  party,  Olyenin  used  often 
to  go  over  to  his  landlady's,  and  sit  with  them  till 
late  into  the  evening.  To  all  outward  appear- 
ances, he  continued  to  live  as  of  old  in  the  village, 
but  in  the  depths  of  his  heart  everything  had 
undergone  a  change.     He  spent  his  days  in  the 

232 


THE   COSSACKS.  233 

woods,  but  at  eight  o'clock,  when  it  was  already 
dark,  he  would  go  over  to  the  other  house,  alone 
or  with  Uncle  Yeroshka.  The  people  of  the 
house  had  now  become  so  accustomed  to  him  that 
they  wondered  if  he  did  not  make  his  appearance. 

He  paid  generously  for  his  wine  and  was  a 
peaceful  man.  Vanyusha  would  bring  him  his  tea 
there,  and  he  would  sit  in  the  corner  by  the  oven ; 
the  old  dame,  undisturbed  by  his  presence,  went 
on  with  her  work,  and  they  would  converse  over 
their  tea  or  their  wine  about  the  deeds  of  the  Cos- 
sacks, about  their  neighbors,  or  Olyenin  would 
tell  them  about  Russia,  or  they  would  ask  him 
questions.  Sometimes  he  would  bring  his  book 
and  read  to  himself. 

Maryana,  drawing  up  her  feet  under  her  like  a 
wild  goat,  would  sit  cross-legged  on  the  oven  or  in 
the  corner  farthest  from  the  light.  She  took  no 
part  in  the  conversation,  but  Olyenin  saw  her 
eyes  and  her  face,  heard  when  she  moved  or  when 
she  crunched  seeds,  and  had  the  consciousness 
that  she  was  listening  with  all  her  being  when- 
ever he  spoke,  and  felt  her  presence  even  when 
he  was  silently  reading. 

Sometimes  it  seemed  to  him  that  her  eyes 
were  fixed  upon  him,  and,  when  he  caught  her 
brilliant  glance,   he  was  involuntarily  silent   and 


234  ^-^^   COSSACKS. 

gazed  at  her.  Then  she  would  instantly  turn 
them  away,  and  he,  while  pretending  to  be  deeply 
absorbed  in  conversation  with  the  old  dame, 
would  listen  for  her  breathing,  for  her  every 
motion,  and  again  wait  till  she  looked  at  him. 

In  the  presence  of  others,  she  treated  him,  for 
the  most  part,  with  a  gay  friendliness,  but  when 
they  were  alone  she  was  wild  and  rude.  Some- 
times he  went  there  before  Maryana  had  returned 
from  the  street ;  then  suddenly  he  would  hear  her 
firm  steps  and  her  blue  calico  shirt  would  flash  by 
the  open  door.  As  soon  as  she  came  into  the 
room  she "  would  see  him  and  her  eyes  would 
smile  with  evident  tenderness  ;  then  a  mixed  feel- 
ing of  terror  and  joy  would  take  hold  of  him. 

■  He  asked  nothing  and  expected  nothing  of  her, 
but  every  day  her  presence  became  more  and 
more  a  necessity  of  his  life. 

Thus  he  grew  so  wonted  to  the  village  life  that 
his  past  seemed  to  him  like  something  perfectly 
foreign  and  the  future,  apart  from  the  little  world 
where  he  lived,  had  absolutely  no  existence  for 
him.  When  he  received  a  letter  from  home, 
from  his  relatives  or  friends,  he  felt  aggrieved 
because  they  mourned  over  him  as  though  he 
were  a  ruined  man,  while  he,  rn  his  Cossack  vil- 
lage, regarded  as  ruined  men  all  those  who  did 


THE   COSSACKS.  235 

•not  lead  such  a  life  as  he  did.  He  was  persuaded 
that  he  should  never  repent  of  having  torn  him- 
self away  from  his  former  way  of  living  and  of 
having  arranged  his  circumstances  so  simply  and 
informally  in  the  village.  He  found  it  pleasant  at 
the  outposts  and  on  expeditions ;  but  only  here, 
under  Uncle  Yeroshka's  wing,  in  his  forest,  in  his 
khata  at  the  edge  of  the  village,  and  especially 
when  he  remembered  Maryanka  and  Lukashka, 
did  he  realize  with  perfect  clearness  the  falseness 
of  his  former  life,  which  even  then  had  disturbed 
his  mind,  and  which  now  seemed  to  him  inex- 
pressibly disgusting  and  absurd. 

He  found  himself  each  day  more  and  more  free, 
more  and  more  a  man.  The  Caucasus  was  entirely 
different  from  his  dreams.  He  had  found  here 
absolutely  nothing  resembling  his  illusions  or  the 
descriptions  which  he  had  heard  and  read  about 
the  Caucasus. 

**  Here  are  no  such  steeds,  no  such  cataracts  as 
I  imagined,  no  Amalat-beks,  no  heroes,  no  vaga- 
bonds," he  said  to  himself.  "Men  live  as  nature 
lives  ;  they  die,  they  are  born,  they  marry,  they 
are  born  again,  they  fight,  they  drink,  they  eat, 
they  hold  good  cheer,  and  again  they  die,  and 
there  areno  conditions  except  the  immutable  ones 
imposed  by  Nature  herself  on  the  sun,  the  grass, 


236  THE   COSSACKS. 

the  animal,  the  tree.  They  are  subject  to  no 
other  laws.  .  .  ." 

And  consequently  these  people,  in  comparison 
with  himself,  seemed  beautiful,  strong,  and  free, 
and,  as  he  looked  at  them,  he  grew  ashamed  and 
sorry  for  himself. 

It  often  seriously  came  into  his  thoughts  to  give 
up  everything,  to  have  himself  enrolled  among 
the  Cossacks,  to  buy  a  cabin  and  cattle,  to  marry 
a  Cossack  wife  —  only  not  Maryana,  whom  he  re- 
nounced in  favor  of  Lukashka — and  to  live  with 
Uncle  Yeroshka,  to  go  hunting  and  fishing  with 
him,  and  join  the  Cossacks  on  their  expeditions. 

"  Why  do  I  not  do  this  t "  he  asked  himself. 
"  What  am  I  waiting  for  .?  " 

And  he  tortured  himself,  he  covered  himself 
with  ridicule. 

"  Or  is  it  that  I  am  afraid  to  do  this  which  I 
find  to  be  reasonable  and  right  t  Is  the  desire  to 
be  a  simple  Cossack,  to  live  close  to  nature,  to  do 
no  harm  to  any  one,  but  rather  to  do  men  good,  — 
is  the  dream  of  doing  this  more  stupid  than  to 
dream  what  I  dreamt  before,  of  being,  for  in- 
stance, a  minister,  of  being  commander  of  a  regi- 
ment }  " 

But  some  voice  seemed  to  bid  him  wait  and  not 
decide  hastily.     He  was  restrained   by  the  con- 


THE  COSSACKS.  23/ 

fused  consciousness  that  he  could  not  live  ex- 
actly such  a  life  as  Yeroshka's  or  Lukashka's, 
because  he  had  another  ideal  of  happiness  ;  he 
was  restrained  by  the  thought  that  happiness  con- 
sisted in  self-renunciation.  His  action  toward  Lu- 
kashka  did  not  cease  to  rejoice  him.  He  con- 
stantly sought  an  opportunity  of  sacrificing  himself 
for  others,  but  this  opportunity  did  not  come. 
Sometimes  he  would  forget  this  newly  discovered 
receipt  for  happiness,  and  feel  himself  free  to  take 
part  in  Uncle  Yeroshka's  life  \  but  then  he  would 
suddenly  remember  it  again  and  immediately  cling 
to  the  thought  of  conscious  self-denial,  and  conse- 
quently look  calmly  and  proudly  on  all  men  and 
on  the  happiness  of  others. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Before  the  grape-gatheiing,  Lukashka  rode  in 
to  see  Olyenin.  He  had  even  more  the  appear- 
ance of  a  Cossack  brave  than  usual. 

"Well,  how  is  it  with  you,  are  you  to  be  mar- 
ried ? "  asked  Olyenin,  greeting  him  warmly. 

Lukashka  did  not  give  a  direct  reply. 

"  See !  I  have  swapped  off  your  horse  for  one 
across  the  river  ;  this  is  a  horse.  A  Kabardinsky 
Lof-Tavro.'     I'm  a  good  judge." 

They  looked  at  the  new  horse,  and  made  him  go 
through  his  paces  in  the  yard.  He  was  indeed  a 
marvellously  fine  animal,  —  a  bay,  stallion,  broad 
and  long,  with  a  glossy  skin,  a  flowing  tail,  and  the 
soft,  delicate  mane  and  withers  of  a  thoroughbred. 
He  was  so  fat  that,  as  Lukashka  expressed  it,  one 
could  go  to  sleep  on  his  back.  His  hoofs,  his  eyes, 
his  teeth,  everything  about  him  was  admirable, 
and  showed  plainly  that  he  was  indeed  a  horse  of 
the  purest  blood.     Olyenin  could  not  help  admir- 

*  Tavro,  a  stock  of  Kabarda  horses.  The  Lof  or  Lova  is  con- 
sidered among  the  best  in  the  Caucasus.  —  Author^s  note. 

238 


THE  COSSACKS.  239 

ing  the  horse.  He  had  never  seen  such  a  beauty 
in  the  whole  Caucasus. 

"And  he  can  go,  too,"  said  Lukashka,  caress- 
ing his  neck.  "  What  a  gait  he  has !  And  so 
intelligent.  He  will  follow  right  after  his 
master." 

*'  Did  you  have  to  give  much  to  boot  ?  **  asked 
Olyenin. 

"  Well,  I  did  not  count  it,"  replied  Lukashka, 
with  a  smile.     **  I  got  him  from  my  kunak." 

"  He's  a  marvel,  a  beautiful  horse  !  What  would 
you  take  for  him  }  "  asked  Olyenin. 

"  He's  worth  a  hundred  and  fifty  moneta,  but 
you  may  have  him,  he's  yours ! "  exclaimed  Lu- 
kashka, gayly.  "  Only  say  the  word,  you  may  have 
him.  Take  off  the  saddle  and  lead  him  in.  Give 
me  some  chance  to  serve  you  ! " 

"  No,  not  on  any  consideration." 

"  Well,  then,  here's  something  that  I  have 
brought  you  as  a  present  — peshkesh^  as  we  say," 
and  Lukashka  opened  his  belt  and  drew  out  one 
of  the  daggers  that  hung  on  the  strap.  "  I  got  it 
over  the  river." 

"  Thank  you  very  much." 

"And  matushka  has  promised  to  bring  you 
some  grapes." 

"  She  need  not,  we  can  settle  up  some  time. 


240  THE   COSSACKS. 

You  see,  I  am  not  going  to  pay  you  for  the  dag- 
ger." 

"  How  could  you  ?  We  are  chums.'  Girei"-Khan 
called  me  across  the  river  to  a  hut  and  said  : '  Take 
your  choice.'  And  so  I  took  this  Circassian  sabre. 
That's  our  custom." 

They  went  into  the  cabin  and  drank  to  each 
other's  health. 

"  Are  you  going  to  stay  in  the  village,  now  }  " 
asked  Olyenin. 

"  No,  I  have  come  in  to  say  good-bye.  They 
are  going  to  send  me  now^from  the  cordon  to  the 
sotnya  on  the  other  side  of  the  Terek.  I  am  go- 
ing to  start  to-day  with  my  comrade  Nazarka." 

"  And  when  will  your  wedding  come  off }  " 

"  I  shall  be  back  before  long  ;  the  matter  will  be 
arranged,  then  I  shall  go  back  to  the  service 
again,"  replied  Luka,  reluctantly. 

"  And  aren't  you  going  to  see  your  bride  }  " 

"  What's  the  use  ?  Why  should  I  see  her  ? 
Whenever  you  come  on  the  frontier,  ask  at  the 
sotnya  for  Lukashka  Broad-back.  And  there  are 
wild-boars  there  !  I  have  killed  two.  I  will  take 
you  out  hunting  !  " 

"  Well,  good-bye  !     Good  luck  to  you  ! " 

Lukashka  mounted  his  horse,  and,  without  going 

"  Kunaki,  guest-friends. 


THE   COSSACKS.  24 1 

in  to  see  Maryanka,  rode  off  jigit  fashion  up  the 
street,  where  Nazarka  was  already  waiting  for 
him. 

"  Say  !  Sha'n't  we  go  in  ?  "  asked  the  latter, 
winking  in  the  direction  where  Yamka  lived. 

"  See  here  !  "  exclaimed  Lukashka.  **  Suppose 
you  take  my  horse  over  there,  and,  if  I  am  gone 
long,  give  him  some  hay.  By  morning  I  must  be 
at  the  sotnya  across  the  Terek." 

"  Say,  didn't  the  yunker  give  you  anything 
else .? " 

"  Nay !  I  had  to  give  him  my  dagger  for 
thanks  ;  even  then  he  was  beginning  to  ask  back 
the  horse,"  said  Lukashka,  dismounting,  and  hand- 
ing the  bridle  to  Nazarka. 

He  slipped  into  the  yard  under  Olyenin's  very 
window  and  crept  up  to  the  window  of  Maryana's 
khata.  It  was  now  perfectly  dark.  The  young 
girl,  in  nothing  but  her  shirt,  was  combing  her 
braid,   and   getting  ready  to  go  to  bed. 

"  It's  I,"  whispered  the  Cossack. 

Maryanka's  stern  face  expressed  indifference, 
but  it  suddenly  lighted  up  when  she  heard  her 
name.  She  raised  the  sash  and  put  her  head  out, 
full  of  terror  and  joy. 

"  What  is  it }     What  do  you  want }  "  she  asked. 

"  Open  the  door,"  demanded  Lukashka.     **  Let 


242 


THE   COSSACKS, 


me  in  for  just  a  minute.     I  have  been  so  lonely 
without  you  !     It  was  terrible !  " 

He  drew  her  face  to  him  and  kissed  her. 

"Truly,  let  me  in  !" 

"  What  idle  talk !  I  have  told  you  I  would  not 
let  you  in.     Are  you  here  for  long  } " 

He  answered  her  only  with  a  kiss.  And  she 
made  no  further  inquiries. 

"  You  see,  it's  mighty  awkward  to  hug  any  one 
through  a  window  ! "  complained  Lukashka. 

**  Maryanushka !  "  cried  the  voice  of  the  old 
dame.     "  Who's  with  you  }  " 

Lukashka  took  off  his  cap,  so  as  not  to  be 
recognized,  and  crouched  down  under  the  window. 

"  Go  quick  ! "  whispered  the  girl. 

"  Lukashka  was  here,"  replied  the  girl  to  her 
mother's  question.     "  He  was  asking  after  father." 

"  Send  him  here." 

"  He's  gone ;  he  said  he  had  no  time." 

In  fact,  Lukashka,  with  swift  strides,  crouching 
down,  hastened  under  the  windows  across  the 
courtyard,  and  was  on  his  way  to  Yamka's.  Ol- 
yenin  had  been  the  only  one  who  saw  him. 

After  drinking  two  wooden  bowls  of  red  wine, 
he  and  Nazarka  rode  off  together  toward  the 
post.  The  night  was  warm,  dark,  and  calm. 
They  rode   in   silence;   the   only  sound  was   the 


THE   COSSACKS.  243 

tramp  of  their  horses'  feet.  Lukashka  began  to 
sing  a  song  about  the  Cossack  Mingal,  but,  before 
he  had  finished  the  first  verse,  he  stopped  and 
turned  to  Nazarka. 

"  You  see,  she  would  not  let  me  in,"  said  he. 

"  Oh  !  "  exclaimed  Nazarka.  "  I  knew  that  she 
wouldn't.  Yamka  told  me  ;  the  yunker  has  taken 
to  going  there.  Uncle  Yeroshka  has  bragged 
that  he  is  going  to  have  a  rifle  for  getting  him 
Maryanka." 

"He  lies!  the  devil!"  said  Lukashka,  angrily. 
"  I'll  smash  his  ribs  for  the  old  devil ! "  and  he 
began  once  more  to  troll  his  favorite  song. 

From  the  little  village  Izmailovo^ 

From  the  lady^s  lovely  garden^ 

Swiftly  flew  the  keen-eyed  falcon  ; 

From  the  garden  rode  the  yotithful  hunter  ; 

To  his  hand  he  called  the  keen-eyed  falcon  : 

But  the  keen-eyed  falcon  answered : 

"  Thou  canst  never  keep  me  in  thy  golden  bird-cage^ 

On  thy  hand  thou  canst  no  longer  hold  me! 

Now  I  seek  the  far  blue  ocean, 

I  shall  kill  the  white  swan  for  my  own  amusement. 

For  the  swan's  sweet  flesh  is  pleasant  to  me." 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

The  ensign  and  Dame  Ulitka  were  celebrating 
the  betrothal.  Lukashka  had  returned  to  the 
village,  but  he  did  not  come  to  see  Olyenin,  and 
Olyenin  did  not  attend  the  celebration,  though  he 
was  invited.  His  heart  was  sad  within,  more  so 
than  it  had  been  since  the  day  of  the  birthday 
party.  He  had  seen  Lukashka,  in  his  best  attire, 
go  with  his  mother,  just  before  evening,  into  the 
ensign's,  and  he  was  tormented  by  the  question, 
Why  was  Lukashka  so  cool  toward  him  ? 

Olyenin  shut  himself  up  in  his  khata  and  began 
to  write  in  his  diary. 

"  I  have  thought  over  many  things  and  have 
experienced  many  changes  in  these  later  days," 
he  wrote,  **  and  I  find  that  I  have  arrived  at  what 
is  printed  in  the  ABC  book.  In  order  to  be 
happy,  only  one  thing  is  essential  —  to  love,  and 
to  love  with  self-sacrificing  love,  to  love  all  men 
and  all  things,  to  stretch  in  all  directions  the 
spider-web  of  love,  to  attach  it  to  whomever  you 
meet.  Thus  I  have  taken  Vanyusha,  Uncle 
Yeroshka,  Lukashka,  Maryanka." 

244 


THE   COSSACKS.  245 

Just  as  Olyenin  was  writing  this.  Uncle 
Yeroshka  came  in  to  see  him.  Yeroshka  was  in 
the  most  jovial  frame  of  mind.  One  evening  a 
few  days  previous,  Olyenin  had  found  him  with  a 
proud,  contented  face,  in  his  yard,  engaged  in 
skilfully  flaying  a  wild-boar  with  a  small  knife. 
His  dogs,  and  among  them  his  favorite  Lyam, 
were  lying  near  him  and  wagging  their  tails  as 
they  looked  up  into  his  face.  Some  inquisitive 
urchins  were  watching  him  through  the  fence  and 
refrained  from  their  usual  banter.  Several 
women,  his  neighbors,  as  a  general  thing  not  over- 
patient  with  him,  came  in  to  greet  him,  one  bring- 
ing him  a  little  jug  of  red  wine,  another  some 
cream  curds,  another  flour  cakes. 

On  the  following  morning  Yeroshka  was  sitting 
in  his  shed,  all  covered  with  blood,  and  selling 
wild  pork  by  the  pound  for  money  or  for  wine. 
On  his  face  it  was  written,  "  God  gave  me  good 
fortune ;  I  have  killed  a  wild-boar ;  now  the  old 
uncle  is  of  some  use!"  In  consequence  of  this,  of 
course,  he  got  drunk,  and  his  spree  had  already 
lasted  three  days  without  his  leaving  the  village. 
Moreover,  he  had  been  drinking  at  the  betrothal 
party. 

Uncle  Yeroshka  came  away  from  the  ensign's 
khata  pretty  drunk,  with  red  face,  tumbled  beard, 


246  2^^^  COSSACKS, 

but  in  a  new  red  beshmet  embroidered  with  gal- 
loons, and  carrying  a  balalaika,  or  three-stringed 
guitar,  which  he  had  obtained  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Terek.  He  had  long  before  promised  Olyenin 
to  give  him  this  pleasure,  and  now  he  felt  in  the 
mood  for  it.  .  .  .  When  he  saw  that  Olyenin  was 
writing,  he  looked  disappointed. 

**  Write,  write,  my  father,"  he  said,  in  a  whis- 
per, as  though  suspecting  that  some  spirit  were 
sitting  between  him  and  the  paper,  and  so,  with 
the  idea  of  not  disturbing  it,  he  crept  by  on 
tiptoe,  and  sat  down  on  the  floor  noiselessly. 
This  was  Uncle  Yeroshka's  favorite  position 
when  he  was  drunk.  Olyenin  looked  up  at  him., 
ordered  wine  to  be  furnished  him,  and  went  on 
with  his  writing.  It  was  dull  for  the  old  man  to 
drink  all  alone.     He  felt  like  talking. 

"  I  have  been  to  the  betrothal  party.  But  what 
do  I  care  for  the  swine  t  I  don't  like  it  !  And 
so  I  have  come  in  to  see  you." 

*' Where  did  you  get  your  balalaika.?"  asked 
Olyenin,  still  continuing  to  write. 

"  I  was  over  the  river,  my  father,  and  got  the 
instrument  there,"  said  he,  in  a  little  louder  voice. 
"  I'm  a  master  hand  at  playing  it :  Tatar,  Cossack, 
gentlemen's,  soldiers'  songs,  —  anything  you  like !  " 

Olyenin   once  more    glanced  at    him,    smiled, 


THE   COSSACKS, 


247 


and  proceeded  with  his  writing.  This  smile  en- 
couraged the  old  man. 

"  Now,  put  it  up,  my  father  !  Put  it  up  !  "  said 
he,  with  sudden  resolution.  "  They  have  af- 
fronted you,  —  throw  them  over,  spit  at  them  ! 
Now,  why  are  you  writing,  writing  ?  What  is  the 
sense  of  it .?  " 

And  he  mimicked  Olyenin,  scratching  on  the 
floor  with  his  clumsy  fingers,  and  screwing  up  his 
clumsy  phiz  into  a  contemptuous  grimace.  "  Why 
do  you  want  to  write  those  charms  for }  Better 
tipple,  then  you  would  be  a  bravo  !  " 

He  had  no  other  conception  in  his  mind  of 
writing  than  of  some  harmful  jugglery. 

Olyenin  laughed  heartily,  and  Uncle  Yeroshka 
joined  him.  He  sprang  up  from  the  floor  and 
proceeded  to  exhibit  his  skill  in  playing  on  the 
balalatka  and  in  singing  Tatar  songs. 

"  What  makes  you  write,  my  good  man  !  Here 
you'd  better  listen,  for  I  will  sing  to  you.  If  you 
should  die,  you  would  not  hear  such  singing. 
Come,  drink  with  me." 

He  began  with  a  song  of  his  own  composition, 
accompanied  by  a  dance  :  — 

Ah  !  di-di-di-di-di-liy 
When  I  saw  him,  where  was  he  f 
O'er  the  counter  bending. 
Pins  and  brooches  vending. 


248 


THE   COSSACKS. 


Then  he  sang  a  song  which  his  former  sergeant- 
major  had  taught  him  :  — 

I  fell  in  love  on  Monday ^ 

All  Tuesday  I  did  sigh. 

On  Wednesday  told  my  passion^ 

On  Thursday  no  reply. 

On  Friday  her  decision  came :  — 

AlaSf  no  hope  elysian  came. 

And  so  on  Saturday  I  sought 

To  end  a  life  so  good  for  naughty 

But  soon  a  saner  vision  came 

And  so  I  laughed  on  Sunday, 


And  again  the  refrain  :  — 


Ah  !  di-di-di-di-di-li, 

When  I  saw  him,  where  was  he  ? 

Then,  winking,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  and 
shuffling,  he  sang :  — 

I  will  kiss  thee,  will  enfold  thee  ; 
Ribands  in  thy  hair  will  twine. 
Nadezhenka,  I  will  hold  thee^ 
For  thou  art  my  hope  divine  ; 
Dost  thou  love  me,  sweetheart  mine  ? 

And  he  became  so  enlivened  that  he  began  to 
dance  about  the  room  as  though  he  were  a  young 
bravo  again,  all  the  time  strumming  on  his  instru- 
ment. 


THE   COSSACKS.  249 

The  song  di-di-li  and  others  like  it,  gentlemen^ s 
songs,  as  he  called  them,  he  sang  only  for  Olye- 
nin.  But  afterward,  having  taken  three  more 
glasses  of  wine,  he  recalled  the  days  of  yore  and 
gave  him  specimens  of  genuine  Cossack  and  Ta- 
tar songs.  In  the  midst  of  one  that  he  loved 
especially,  his  voice  suddenly  broke  and  he  came 
to  a  stop,  continuing  to  thrum  on  the  strings  of 
the  balala'ika. 

"Ah  !  my  dear  friend  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

The  strange  sound  of  his  voice  attracted  Olye- 
nin's  attention  ;  the  old  man  was  weeping.  Tears 
stood  in  his  eyes  and  one  was  trickling  down  his 
cheeks. 

"  Oh  !  days  of  my  youth,  you  will  never  return 
again,"  he  cried,  sobbing,  and  then  stopped. 
"  Drink !  why  don't  you  drink  ! "  he  cried,  sud- 
denly, in  his  tremendous  voice,  not  wiping  away 
the  tears. 

Especially  painful  to  him  was  one  mountain 
song.  Its  words  were  few,  —  its  whole  charm 
consisted  in  its  melancholy  refrain  :  — 

Ai!  dat!  dalalai! 

Yeroshka  translated  the  words  of  this  song  as 
follows  :  — 

"  The  young  man  was  driving  his  flock  from 
the  aul  into  the  mountains ;  the  Russians  came, 


250 


THE   COSSACKS. 


they  burned  the  aul,  they  killed  all  the  men,  they 
took  all  the  women  prisoners.  The  young  man 
came  back  from  the  mountains  ;  where  the  aul 
had  been  was  a  waste  ;  his  mother  was  gone  ;  his 
brothers  were  gone  ;  his  home  was  gone ;  one 
tree  was  standing.  The  young  man  sat  down 
beneath  the  tree  and  wept.  'Alone  like  thee, 
alone  I  am  left,'  and  the  young  man  began  to 
sing  his  song  of  grief:  Ai !  dai  !  dalalat  T* 

And  this  moaning,  soul-clutching  refrain  the  old 
man  repeated  again  and  again. 

After  he  had  finished  singing  this  song,  Ye- 
roshka  suddenly  seized  a  musket  down  from  the 
wall,  rushed  hastily  out  into  the  yard,  and  fired  off 
both  barrels  at  once  into  the  air.  And  once  more 
he  trolled  out  the  melancholy  refrain :  A'i !  dat  ! 
dalalaty  and  relapsed  into  silence. 

Olyenin  hastened  out  after  him  upon  the  porch, 
and  silently  gazed  at  the  dark,  starry  sky  in  the 
direction  in  which  the  old  man  had  fired.  At  the 
ensign's,  windows  were  opened,  voices  were  heard. 
Over  the  court  and  around  the  porch  and  windows 
the  maidens  crowded  and  ran  from  the  dairy  to 
the  entry.  A  few  Cossacks  sprang  forth  from  the 
doorway,  and,  unable  to  restrain  themselves,  gave 
a  wild  shout,  and  answered  Uncle  Yeroshka's 
song  and  shot. 


THE   COSSACK'S,  2$ I 

"  Why  are  you  not  at  the  betrothal  ?  "  asked 
Olyenin. 

"  God  be  with  them  !  God  be  with  them  !  " 
replied  the  old  man,  who  had  evidently  been  in 
some  way  affronted.  **  I  like  them  not,  I  like 
them  not  !  Ekh  !  what  people !  come  into  the 
room.  Let  them  have  their  own  spree,  and  we'll 
have  ours  ! " 

Olyenin  went  back  into  the  khata.  *'  Well !  and 
is  Lukashka  happy  ?  Why  didn't  he  come  to  see 
me  .^  "  he  asked. 

"  Lukashka  !  They  have  been  lying  to  him  ; 
they  told  him  that  I  would  get  the  girl  for  you," 
he  said,  in  a  whisper.  "What  about  the  girl.? 
she  will  be  ours  if  we  want ;  give  a  little  more 
money  and  she's  ours  !  I  will  get  her  for  you, 
truly  I  will." 

"  No,  uncle.  Money  wouldn't  do  anything 
there,  if  she  doesn't  love.  Better  not  speak 
about  that !  " 

"  You  and  I  are  out  of  favor  there  ;  we  are 
orphans,"  said  Uncle  Yeroshka,  suddenly,  and 
again  he  burst  into  tears. 

Olyenin  drank  more  than  usual  while  listening 
to  the  old  man's  tales. 

"  Well,  now,  my  Lukashka  is  happy  ! "  he  said 
to   himself ;  but   his  heart  was  heavy.     The   old 


252 


THE   COSSACKS. 


man  drank  so  much  that  evening  that  he  wallowed 
on  the  floor,  and  Vanyusha  was  obliged  to  get 
the  aid  of  some  soldiers  to  drag  him  out.  He 
was  so  indignant  at  the  old  man's  condition  that 
he  spat  and  did  not  even  speak  in  French  as  usual. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

The  month  of  August  had  come.  For  several 
days  in  succession  there  had  not  been  a  cloud  in 
the  sky  ;  the  sun  was  insufferable,  and  from  morn- 
ing till  night  a  hot  wind  blew,  raising  clouds  of 
burning  sand  from  the  dunes  and  roads,  and 
.  whirling  it  through  the  air,  over  rushes,  trees,  and 
village. 

The  grass  and  foliage  were  covered  with  dust  ; 
the  roads  and  marshes  were  dry  and  hard,  and 
rang  to  the  step.  The  water  of  the  Terek  had 
been  long  falling,  and  the  canals  were  dry.  The 
edges  of  the  pond  near  the  village,  trampled  into 
mire  by  the  cattle,  were  beginning  to  grow  hard, 
and  the  splashing  and  shouts  of  the  boys  and 
girls  in  the  water  were  heard  all  day  long. 

The  rushes  filling  marshy  hollows  that  extended 
out  toward  the  steppe  were  withered,  and  the 
lowing  herds  wandered  about  the  pastures.  Wild 
beasts  had  retired  into  wilder  reaches  of  reeds 
and  into  the  mountain  forests  beyond  the  Terek. 
Swarms  of  gnats  and  mosquitoes  hovered  over  the 
downs   and  towns.     The    snowy  mountains  were 

253 


254  ^^^   COSSACKS.. 

wrapped  in  gray  mist.      The  air  was  rare  and  mal- 
odorous. 

There  was  a  report  that  the  abreks  had  ven- 
tured across  the  shoaling  river  and  were  wander- 
ing about  on  this  side.  The  sun  each  evening  set 
in  a  burning,  fiery  glow. 

It  was  the  time  of  the  harvesting.  The  whole 
population  of  the  village  swarmed  out  into  the 
melon  fields  and  vineyards.  The  gardens  had 
grown  up  with  intertwining  tendrils  of  luxuriant 
green  and  were  full  of  delicious,  dense  shade. 
Everywhere,  under  the  broad,  transparent  leaves, 
hung  the  heavy  clusters  of  fruit,  purple  and  ripe. 
Over  the  dusty  roads  leading  out  to  the  gardens 
crept  the  creaking,  two-wheeled  carts,  loaded 
heavily  with  fruit.  Where  the  wheels  have 
passed  over  the  dusty  roads,  here  and  there  are 
seen  great  clusters  that  have  fallen  off  and  been 
left  behind. 

Boys  and  girls,  with  their  little  shirts  stained 
with  grape  juice,  with  grapes  in  their  hands  and 
in  their  mouths,  tag  after  their  mothers.  Every- 
where along  the  road  one  meets  ragged  workmen, 
carrying  on  their  strong  shoulders  baskets  full  of 
grapes.  Mdmukiy^  as  the  girls  are  called  in  sport, 
with  their  faces  swathed  up  to  the  eyes  in  ker- 

*  Corresponding  curiously  to  the  old  English  term,  mauther. 


THE   COSSACKS. 


255 


chiefs,  drive  the  oxen  dragging  the  heavy-laden 
carts.  Soldiers,  meeting  them,  ask  for  some 
grapes,  and  the  maiden  would  climb  upon  the  cart 
and  toss  great  handfuls  down  into  the  soldier's 
outstretched  skirt. 

Already,  in  some  of  the  yards,  the  wine-press- 
ing has  begun.  The  air  is  fragrant  with  the  odor 
of  new  wine.  Troughs  stained  red  as  blood  are 
seen  under  the  sheds,  and  Nogaf  workmen,  with 
their  trousers  rolled  up  and  their  calves  all  dis- 
colored, can  be  seen  about  the  courtyards. 
Swine,  grunting,  fatten  themselves  on  the  grape- 
skins  and  roll  in  them.  The  flat  roofs  of  the 
dairies  are  thickly  covered  with  dark,  amber- 
colored  bunches  drying  in  the  sun.  Crows  and 
magpies,  filching  seeds,  collect  around  the  roofs 
and  fly  from  place  to  place. 

The  fruits  of  the  year's  labors  are  gayly  gath- 
ered, and  the  harvest  this  year  is  unusually  abun- 
dant and  rich. 

In  the  shady,  green  gardens,  amidst  this  sea  of 
vines,  on  all  sides,  laughter  and  songs  and  the 
gay  voices  of  women  are  heard,  and  the  bright- 
colored  dresses  of  women  give  an  added  anima- 
tion to  the  scene. 

Just  at  noon,  Maryana  was  in  her  garden,  in  the 
shade  of  a  peach   tree,  and   removing  from  the 


256  THE   COSSACKS. 

unhitched  arba  the  dinner  for  her  family.  In 
front  of  her,  on  a  horse-blanket  spread  upon  the 
ground,  sat  the  ensign,  who  had  leave  of  absence 
from  his  school,  and  was  washing  his  hands  in 
water  poured  from  a  pitcher.  A  young  lad,  her 
brother,  who  had  just  come  up  from  the  pond, 
was  drying  himself  with  his  sleeves  and  gazing 
impatiently  at  his  sister  and  mother,  in  expecta- 
tion of  his  dinner,  and  breathing  hard. 

The  old  mother,  with  quick  movements  of  her 
strong,  sunburned  hands,  was  disposing  the 
grapes,  the  dried  fish,  the  cheese  and  bread  on  a 
small,  low,  round  Tatar  table. 

The  ensign,  having  wiped  his  hands,  took  off 
his  cap,  crossed  himself,  and  drew  up  to  the  table. 
The  young  lad  took  up  the  pitcher  and  drank 
eagerly.  The  mother  and  daughter,  crossing  their 
legs,  sat  down  at  the  table.  Even  in  the  shade,  it 
was  unendurably  hot.  The  air  about  the  garden 
was  rank  and  close.  A  fierce,  hot  wind,  making 
its  way  between  the  branches,  brought  no  com- 
forting on  its  wings,  and  monotonously  waved  the 
tops  of  the  pear  trees,  the  peach  trees,  and  the 
mulberries  that  lined  the  garden. 

The  ensign,  again  muttering  a  prayer,  brought 
out  from  behind  him  a  jiig  of  red  wine,  protected 
by   grape   leaves,   and,   after  drinking    from   the 


THE   COSSACKS.  2$/ 

mouth  of  it,  handed  it  to  his  wife.  The  ensign 
was  in  a  single  shirt,  unbuttoned  at  the  neck  and 
exposing  his  muscular,  hairy  chest.  His  keen, 
thin  face  was  cheerful.  Neither  in  his  actions 
nor  in  his  talk  was  there  a  gleam  of  his  ordinary 
shrewdness.     He  was  happy  and  natural. 

"Well,  shall  we  get  through  with  it  by  even- 
ing } "  he  asked,  wiping  his  wet  beard. 

"  We  shall  have  got  it  all  in,"  replied  the  old 
dame,  "  if  only  the  weather  holds.  The  Demkins 
have  only  got  half  their  harvest  in,"  she  added. 
**  Ustenka  is  the  only  one  of  them  that  works  ; 
she  nearly  kills  herself." 

**  What  else  could  you  expect }  "  exclaimed  the 
old  man,  proudly. 

"  Come,  Maryanushka,  have  a  drink ! "  said 
Dame  Ulitka,  passing  the  jug  to  her  daughter. 
*'  Here  God  has  given ;  we  shall  have  enough  to 
make  a  fine  wedding." 

"  There'll  be  time  enough  for  that,"  said  the 
ensign,  with  a  slight  contraction  of  the  brows. 

The  girl  dropped  her  head. 

"  Now,  why  won't  you  hear  to  reason  } "  de- 
manded the  old  dame.  "The  business  is  already 
finished  and  the  time  is  almost  at  hand." 

"  Don't  try  to  be  a  fortune-teller,"  said  the 
ensign.     "  Now  it  is  harvest  time." 


258 


THE   COSSACKS. 


"  Have  you  seen  Lukashka's  new  horse  ? " 
asked  the  old  dame.  "  He  did  not  keep  the  one 
that  Mitri  i^ndreyitch  gave  him  ;  he  has  swapped 
it  off." 

"  No,  I  have  not  seen  him.  But  I  was  talking 
with  our  lodger's  man  to-day,"  said  the  ensign. 
"  He  says  he  has  received  another  thousand 
rubles." 

"  A  Croesus  ;  that's  the  end  of  it,"  said  the  old 
dame,  sententiously. 

The  whole  family  were  cheerful  and  content. 

The  work  was  proceeding  successfully.  The 
wine  harvest  was  larger  and  better  than  their 
most  sanguine  expectations. 

Maryanka,  after  eating  her  own  dinner,  gave 
some  grass  to  the  oxen,  then  spread  her  beshmet 
out  for  a  pillow,  and  lay  down  under  the  arba,  on 
the  soft,  succulent  grass.  All  she  wore  was  a 
single  red  sorotchka,  that  is,  a  silk  kerchief  on  her 
head,  and  a  blue,  faded  calico  shirt ;  but  it  seemed 
to  her  intolerably  hot.  Her  face  glowed,  her 
limbs  were  restless,  her  eyes  were  heavy  with 
sleep  and  weariness  ;  her  lips  parted  involun- 
tarily, and  her  breast  heaved  with  long,  deep  inspi- 
rations. 

The  harvest  time  had  been  in  progress  for  a 
fortnight,   and    the   hard,   continuous   labor    had 


THE  COSSACKS. 


259 


occupied  the  young  girl's  whole  life.  Early  in  the 
morning,  at  the  first  glow  of  dawn,  she  sprang  up, 
washed  her  face  in  cool  water,  muffled  herself  up 
in  her  kerchief,  and  ran  off  barefoot  after  the 
cattle.  Then,  after  hastily  getting  on  her 
shoes  and  her  beshmet,  she  took  some  bread  in 
her  bundle,  hitched  up  the  oxen,  and  went  off  to 
the  garden  for  the  day's  work.  There  she  took 
only  a  brief  hour  for  rest ;  she  spent  her  time  in 
cutting  off  the  clusters  of  grapes  and  in  lugging 
the  baskets,  and  then,  at  eventide,  cheerful  and 
unwearied,  pulling  the  oxen  by  a  cord  and  guiding 
them  by  a  long  branch,  she  would  return  to  the 
village. 

At  dusk,  after  the  cattle  were  put  in,  she 
would  fill  the  wide  sleeve  of  her  shirt  with  seeds 
and  go  out  to  the  corner  to  laugh  and  chat  with 
the  other  girls.  But,  as  soon  as  the  twilight  had 
entirely  faded  from  the  sky,  she  always  returned 
♦o  the  house,  and,  after  eating  supper  in  the  dark 
dairy,  with  her  father,  mother,  and  little  brother, 
she  would  go,  in  careless  indolence  and  full  of 
glowing  life,  into  the  khata,  sit  down  on  the  oven, 
and,  in  a  half  dream,  listen  to  the  lodger's  stories. 

As  soon  as  he  had  gone,  she  would  throw  her- 
self down  on  her  bed  and  sleep  till  morning,  a 
calm  and  dreamless  sleep.     On  the  next  day  the 


26o  ^^^   COSSACJCS. 

same  story.  Liikashka  she  had  not  seen  since 
the  day  of  the  betrothal  feast,  and  she  waited 
without  impatience  for  the  day  of  the  wedding. 
She  had  now  become  quite  accustomed  to  the 
lodger,  and  it  was  with  pleasure  that  she  felt  his 
glance  resting  upon  her. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  was  impossible  to 
get  out  of  reach  of  the  heat,  though  the  gnats 
swarmed  in  the  pleasant  shadow  of  the  arba,  and 
though  the  young  brother,  rolling  about,  kept  hit- 
ting her,  Maryana  had  protected  her  face  with  a 
handkerchief,  and  was  sound  asleep,  when  sud- 
denly Ustenka,  her  neighbor,  came  running  up, 
and,  slipping  under  the  cart,  lay  down  by  her  side. 

"  Now,  sleep,  maiden,  sleep  ! "  exclaimed  Us- 
tenka, crawling  under  the  arba.  **  Wait,"  said 
she,  straightening  up,  "  that  isn't  the  way !  '* 

And  she  jumped  up,  broke  off  some  green 
boughs,  and  twined  them  into  the  two  wheels  of 
the  cart,  and  then  spread  her  beshmet  over  it  all. 

"  Get  out  of  there  !  "  she  cried  to  the  young 
brother,  as  she  again  crept  under  the  arba. 
"  Cossacks  aren't  allowed  in  with  the  girls,  are 
they  ?     Go  along  !  " 

When  she  was  alone  under  the  arba  with  her 
friend,  she  suddenly  clasped  her  in  both  arms, 
and,  pressing  close  to  her,  began  to  kiss  her  on 
her  cheeks  and  neck. 

261 


262  THE  COSSACKS. 

"  My  darling  !  my  brother  !  "  she  exclaimed, 
breaking  out  into  her  dainty,  rippling  laughter. 

"  There  !  you  learnt  that  of  the  little  grand- 
father," replied  Maryanka,  trying  to  escape. 
"  Come,  let  go  of  me  !  " 

And  they  both  broke  into  such  a  hearty  laugh 
tha^  the  old  dame  had  to  speak  sharply  to  them. 

"Aren't  you  jealous?"  whispered  Ustenka. 

"What  nonsense!  Let  me  have  a  nap.  Now, 
what  made  you  come  ? " 

But  Ustenka  was  irrepressible.  "  What  do  you 
suppose  I  have  got  to  tell  you  ? " 

Maryana  raised  herself  up  on  her  elbow  and 
straightened  her  disordered  handkerchief.  "  Well, 
what  is  it  ?  " 

"  I  know  something  about  your  lodger." 

"  There  is  nothing  to  know,"  retorted  Mar- 
yanka. 

"  Ah  !  you're  a  sly  girl !  "  exclaimed  Ustenka, 
nudging  her  with  her  elbow  and  giggling.  "  You 
won't  tell  me  anything  ;  but  he  comes  to  see  you, 
doesn't  he } " 

"  Well,  suppose  he  does !  what  of  it  t "  said 
Maryanka,  and  suddenly  blushed. 

"Well,  you  see,  I'm  a  silly  maiden  ;  I  am  will- 
ing to  tell  every  one.  Why  should  I  hide  it } " 
demanded    Ustenka,  and   her  jolly,  rosy  face  as- 


THE   COSSACKS.  263 

sumed  a  thoughtful  expression.  "Am  I  doing 
any  harm  to  any  one  ?  If  I  love  him,  that's  all 
there  is  of  it." 

"Who  ?  the  little  grandfather?" 

"  Well,  yes  !  " 

"  But  it's  wrong." 

**Ah,  Mashenka,  when  should  one  have  a 
good  time,  if  not  in  her  girlhood.?  When  I  get 
married,  then  I  shall  have  to  have  children,  I 
shall  be  full  of  care.  Now,  here  you  are  going  to 
marry  Lukashka,  and,  then,  good-bye  joy  ;  that 
won't  come,  but  children  and  work  will.'* 

"  What  is  that  ?  Others  live  well,  even  though 
they  are  married.  It  is  all  the  same,"  replied 
Maryana,  calmly. 

"Come,  now!  just  tell  me  once!  how  is  it 
between  you  and  Lukashka } " 

"This  is  all  there  is  of  it.  He  wanted  me. 
Father  put  it  off  a  year,  but  it  has  just  been 
decided  to  have  the  wedding  this  autumn." 

"  But  what  did  he  say  to  you  ?  " 

Maryanka  laughed.  "Of  course,  you  know 
what  he  said  1  He  said  he  loved  me.  He  kept 
asking  me  to  go  into  the  garden  with  him." 

"  What  a  goose  !  and,  of  course,  you  didn't  go  ! 
And  yet  what  a  bravo  he  is  now  !  Our  first  jigit ! 
And  how  he  carries  on  at  the  sotnya !     Lately  our 


264  ^^^   COSSACATS. 

Kirka  came  back  and  told  what  a  horse  he  had 
got.  And  you  make  him  feel  very  bad.  —  And 
what  else  did  he  say  ?  "  pursued  Ustenka. 

"  Must  you  know  the  whole  thing,  then  ? " 
asked  Maryanka,  with  a  laugh.  "  One  evening  he 
came  riding  up  to  the  window  ;  he  was  tipsy.  He 
wanted  me  to  let  him  in." 

"  Well,  didn't  you  let  him  in  ?  " 

'*  Why  should  1?  I  gave  my  word  once  and  I 
keep  it.  I  am  as  firm  as  a  rock,"  replied  Mar- 
yanka, seriously. 

"  But  he's  such  a  hero  !  Wherever  he  goes,  no 
maiden  can  refuse  him  anything." 

"Let  him  go  to  others,  then,"  returned  Mar- 
yanka, haughtily. 

"  Aren't  you  sorry  for  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  I  won't  do  anything  foolish.  That  is 
wrong." 

Ustenka  suddenly  hid  her  face  in  her  friend's 
bosom,  clasped  her  in  her  arms,  and  shook  all 
over  with  suppressed  laughter. 

"  You're  a  stupid  fool  !  "  she  exclaimed,  all  out 
of  breath.  "  You  don't  know  what  happiness  is," 
and  again  she  began  to  tickle  Maryanka. 

"  Ai*,  stop  it !  "  cried  Maryanka,  screaming 
through  her  laughter.  "  You  have  crushed  La- 
zutka." 


THE   COSSACKS.  26$ 

*'  There,  you  devils !  why  can't  you  stop 
your  nonsense?  one  can't  get  a  nap,"  the  old 
dame's  sleepy  voice  again  was  heard  near  the 
cart. 

"You  don't  know  what  happiness  is,"  repeated 
Ustenka,  in  a  whisper,  and  half  sitting  up,  "  But 
how  lucky  you  are  !  God  knows  !  How  you  are 
loved  !  You  are  pock-marked,  but  still  they  all 
fall  in  love  with  you  !  Ekh  !  if  I  were  only  in 
your  place,  how  I  would  twist  that  lodger  of  yours 
round  my  little  finger  !  I  watched  him  when  he 
was  at  my  house,  and  saw  how  he  devoured  you 
with  his  eyes !  The  little  grandfather  is  my 
friend,  and  what  won't  he  give  me  !  But  yours, 
you  know,  is  one  of  the  richest  of  the  Russians  ! 
His  man  has  been  telling  that  he  has  his  own 
serfs ! " 

Maryana  got  up  and  smiled  at  the  thoughts 
that  came  to  her. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  our  lodger  said  to  me 
one  time  } "  she  continued,  biting  a  grass  blade. 
"  He  said,  *  I  wish  I  were  the  Cossack  Lukashka 
or  your  brother  Lazutka.'  Why  did  he  say 
that  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  they  are  always  saying  whatever  comes 
into  their  heads,"  replied  Ustenka.  "  What 
doesn't  mine  get  off !     Perfectly  crazy  !  " 


266  THE   COSSACKS, 

Maryana  laid  her  head  on  her  beshmet,  threw 
her  arm  around  Ustenka's  shoulder,  and  shut 
her  eyes. 

"  To-day  he  wanted  to  come  and  work  in  the 
garden  ;  father  invited  him  to  come,"  said  she, 
after  a  little  pause,  and  then  she  fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

The  sun  had  now  moved  from  behind  the  pear 
tree  that  shaded  the  arba,  and  the  slanting  rays, 
penetrating  the  screen  of  boughs  that  had  been 
devised  by  Ustenka,  scorched  the  faces  of  the 
sleeping  maidens.  Maryana  awoke  and  began  to 
arrange  her  kerchief.  Glancing  around,  she  saw, 
just  beyond  the  pear  tree,  the  lodger,  with  his 
gun  over  his  shoulder,  standing  and  talking  with 
her  father.  She  nudged  Ustenka,  and,  without 
saying  anything,  smilingly  drew  her  attention  to 
him. 

"I  went  yesterday,  but  had  no  luck  at  all," 
said  Olyenin,  uneasily  looking  around,  but  not 
seeing  Maryana  under  her  screen  of  branches. 

"  But  you  should  go  straight  according  to  the 
compass  to  the  very  edge  of  the  river ;  there,  in 
the  deserted  garden  which  we  call  *  the  waste,' 
you  will  always  find  hares,"  said  the  ensign,  imme- 
diately changing  his  manner  of  speech. 

"  It's  lazy  business  going  after  hares  in  working 
hours  !  "  said  the  old  dame,  gayly.  "  You  would 
much  better  come  and  help  us.     You  would  have 

267 


268  THE   COSSACKS. 

a  nice  time  with  the  girls.  .  .  .  Come,  girls,  come 
out  from  there  !  "  she  cried. 

Maryana  and  Ustenka  were  whispering  and 
finding  it  hard  to  keep  from  laughing  under  the 
arba. 

Ever  since  the  ensign  and  his  wife  knew  that 
Olyenin  had  given  Lukashka  a  horse  worth  fifty 
moneta,  they  had  become  very  obsequious  to  him  ; 
the  ensign  especially  appeared  to  look  with  pleas- 
ure at  his  friendship  with  Maryana. 

"But  I  do  not  know  how  to  work,"  said  Olye- 
nin, compelling  himself  not  to  look  toward  the 
arba,  where,  through  the  screen  of  boughs,  he 
could  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  blue  shirt  and  a  red 
kerchief. 

"  Come,  and  I  will  give  you  some  peaches," 
said  the  dame  Ulitka. 

"  That's  according  to  old  Cossack  hospitality, — 
a  piece  of  old  woman's  stupidity,"  said  the  ensign, 
explaining  and,  as  it  were,  correcting  Dame 
Ulitka's  words.  "In  Russia,  I  believe,  you  don't 
eat  peaches  so  much  as  you  do  pineapple 
preserves." 

"  So  there  is  shooting  in  the  deserted  garden  }  '* 
inquired  Olyenin.  "  I  will  go  there,"  and,  throw- 
ing a  fleeting  glance  toward  the  screen  of  boughs, 
he   lifted   his   papakh,  or   Cossack   cap,  and  was 


THE   COSSACKS.  26g 

soon  lost  to  sight  among  the  straight,  green  rows 
of  the  vineyard. 

The  sun  was  already  sinking  behind  the  enclo- 
sures, and  its  scattered  rays  were  gleaming 
through  the  translucent  leaves,  when  Olyenin 
returned  to  his  hosts'  garden.  The  wind  had 
died  down,  and  a  delicious  coolness  began  to  be 
diffused  about,  over  the  vineyards.  As  by  a  sort 
of  instinct,  Olyenin  recognized  from  afar  Mar- 
yanka's  blue  shirt  through  the  rows  of  vine  stocks, 
and,  picking  off  the  grapes  as  he  went,  he  walked 
toward  her.  His  panting  dog  also  occasionally 
snatched  with  his  dripping  mouth  at  some  low- 
hanging  cluster.  All  flushed  with  the  heat,  with 
her  sleeves  rolled  up,  and  her  kerchief  dropping 
under  her  chin,  Maryana  was  quickly  cutting  off 
the  heavy  clusters  and  laying  them  in  her  basket. 

Not  letting  go  of  the  vine  branch  which  she 
had  in  her  hand,  she  paused  a  moment,  smiled 
affectionately,  and  resumed  her  work.  Olyenin 
approached  her  and  slung  his  gun  over  his  shoul- 
der, so  as  to  free  his  hands.  The  words,  "  Well, 
where  are  your  people  ?  God  help  you  !  Are  you 
alone  .^"  were  on  his  lips,  but  he  said  nothing,  and 
merely  lifted  his  cap.  He  felt  awkward  to  be 
alone  with  Maryanka,  but,  as  though  to  torment 
himself,  he  came  close  to  her. 


2^0  ^-^^   COSSACKS. 

"You  will  be  shooting  some  of  the  women 
with  your  gun  that  way,"  said  Maryana. 

"No,  I  won't  shoot  any  one." 

Then  they  both  grew  silent. 

He  drew  out  a  little  knife  and  began  silently  to 
cut  off  the  clusters.  Drawing  down  from  under 
the  leaves  a  heavy  cluster,  weighing  at  least  three 
pounds,  in  which  all  the  grapes  were  pressed  so 
closely  together  that  they  actually  flattened  each 
other  for  lack  of  room,  he  showed  it  to  Maryana. 

"  Do  you  cut  them  all }     Isn't  this  one  green  ? " 

"Give  it  here." 

Their  hands  met.  Olyenin  clasped  her  hand, 
and  she  looked  at  him  with  a  smile. 

"  Well,  are  you  to  be  married  soon  ?  "  he  asked. 

She  looked  at  him  with  her  great,  black  eyes 
and  turned  away  without  answering. 

"  And  do  you  love  Lukashka  .'* " 

"  What  is  that  to  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  jealous." 

"  The  idea  !  " 

"  Truly,  I  am  ;  you  are  such  a  beauty  !  " 

And  suddenly  he  felt  such  a  terrible  sense  of 
shame  at  what  he  had  said  !  His  words,  he  thought, 
had  such  a  vulgar  sound.  His  blood  boiled  ;  he 
knew  not  what  he  did,  and  seized  her  by  both 
hands. 


THE   COSSACKS.  27 1 

"  Whatever  I  am,  I  am  not  for  you  !  What  are 
you  joking  for  ?  "  replied  Maryanka,  but  her  eyes 
declared  how  firmly  she  was  assured  that  he  was 
not  making  sport  of  her. 

"Joking!     If  you  only  knew  how  I  .  .  .'* 

His  words  sounded  to  him  still  more  common- 
place, still  more  incommensurate  with  what  he 
really  felt ;  but  he  continued  :  — 

"  I  can't  tell  you,  but  I  am  ready  ...  I  don't 
know  what  I  am  not  willing  to  do  for  you  ,  .  ." 

**  Let  me  go,  you  rascal  !  " 

But  her  face,  her  gleaming  eyes,  her  heaving 
breast,  her  shapely  limbs  all  told  him  exactly  the 
contrary.  It  seemed  to  him  that  she  understood 
how  commonplace  was  all  that  he  said  to  her,  but 
that  she  was  superior  to  all  such  considerations  ; 
it  seemed  to  him  that  she  had  long  known  all  that 
he  wanted  to  tell  her  and  had  not  the  courage  to 
tell  her,  but  that  she  wanted  to  hear  how  he 
would  say  it.  And  how  should  she  not  know,  he 
thought,  when  all  that  he  wished  to  tell  her  was 
merely  that  which  she  herself  was  ">.  "  But  she 
does  not  wish  to  understand,  does  not  wish  to 
answer,"  he  said  to  himself. 

"  Au !  "  suddenly  was  heard  not  far  away  among 
the  vine  stocks,  and  Ustenka's  thin  voice  and  her 
merry  laugh  rang  out.     "  Come,  Mitri  Andreyitch, 


2/2  THE   COSSACKS, 

come  and  help  me  !  I  am  all  alone  !  "  she  called 
to  Olyenin,  showing  her  round,  innocent  little 
face  among  the  leaves. 

Olyenin  made  no  reply  and  did  not  stir  from 
the  spot. 

Maryana  went  on  with  her  work,  but  kept 
glancing  at  the  lodger.  He  began  to  say  some- 
thing, but  paused,  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and, 
adjusting  his  gun,  hastened  from  the  vineyard. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

He  stopped  once  or  twice  and  listened  to  Mar- 
yana's  and  Ustenka's  ringing  laughter  as  they 
joined  company  and  went  on  talking  pretty  loud. 

The  whole  afternoon  Olyenin  wandered  about 
the  forest  after  game,  but,  when  he  came  home  at 
dusk,  he  had  been  entirely  unsuccessful.  As  he 
went  into  the  yard,  he  observed  the  dairy  door 
open  and  a  blue  shirt  moving  about  inside.  He 
shouted  out  to  Vanyusha  rather  loud,  so  as  to  let 
the  family  know  that  he  had  returned,  and  then 
sat  down  in  his  usual  place  on  the  porch.  The 
family  were  already  back  from  the  garden  ;  they 
came  out  of  the  dairy,  went  into  their  khata,  but 
did  not  invite  him  to  join  them.  Maryana  twice 
went  down  to  the  gate.  Once,  though  it  was  twi- 
light, he  thought  that  she  was  looking  at  him. 
He  followed  eagerly  all  of  her  motions,  but  could 
not  make  up  his  mind  to  go  to  her.  When  she 
went  into  the  house,  he  stepped  down  from  the 
porch  and  began  to  walk  back  and  forth  through 
the  yard.  But  Maryana  did  not  come  out  again. 
Olyenin  spent  the  whole  night  in  the  yard,  with- 
273 


274 


THE   COSSACKS. 


out  sleep,  listening  to  every  sound  in  the  ensign's 
khata. 

He  heard  them  talking  through  the  evening, 
eating  their  supper,  bringing  out  the  feather  beds 
and  preparing  to  retire ;  he  heard  Maryanka 
laughing  at  something ;  then  he  heard  how  grad- 
ually all  relapsed  into  silence.  The  ensign  was 
talking  in  a  whisper  with  his  wife,  and  there  was 
the  sound  of  some  one  breathing.  He  went  into 
his  own  room  ;  Vanyusha  was  asleep  in  his 
clothes.  Olyenin  envied  him,  and  was  again 
impelled  to  go  out  into  the  yard,  all  the  time 
expecting  some  one,  but  no  one  appeared,  no  one 
moved ;  the  only  sound  that  he  heard  was  the 
measured  breathing  of  three  people.  He  recog- 
nized Maryana's  breathing,  and  he  kept  listening 
to  it  and  to  the  beating  of  his  own  heart. 

In  the  village  all  was  still ;  the  belated  moon 
was  rising,  and  the  panting  cattle,  lying  down  or 
slowly  struggling  to  their  feet  in  the  yards,  be- 
came more  discernible. 

Olyenin  asked  himself,  angrily,  "  What  do  I 
want  ?  "  and  he  could  not  tear  himself  away  from 
his  watching. 

Suddenly  he  clearly  distinguished  steps  and  the 
creaking  of  the  deal  floor  in  the  ensign's  khata. 
He  hastened  to  the  door ;  but  again  nothing  was 


THE   COSSACKS. 


275 


to  be  heard  but  measured  breathing ;  and  then  the 
cow  buffalo,  after  a  heavy  sigh,  got  up  on  her  knees, 
then  on  all  four  feet,  switched  her  tail,  and  then 
followed  the  sound  of  something  regularly  drop- 
ping on  the  dry  clay  of  the  yard,  and  then  the  ani- 
mal, with  a  sigh,  lay  down  again  in  the  misty 
moonlight.  .  .  . 

He  asked  himself,  "  What  am  I  going  to  do  ? " 
determined  resolutely  to  go  to  bed  ;  but  again  the 
same  sounds  were  heard,  and  he  imagined  that  he 
saw  Maryanka's  figure  coming  out  into  this  trans- 
lucent moonlight  night,  and  again  he  went  to  the 
door,  and  again  he  heard  steps.  Just  before  dawn 
he  went  to  the  window  and  tapped  on  the  pane. 
Then  he  ran  to  the  door,  and  now  he  heard  Mar- 
yanka's steps  approaching.  He  took  hold  of  the 
latch  and  shook  it.  Cautious  bare  feet,  scarcely 
making  the  boards  creak,  approached  the  door. 
The  latch  was  lifted,  the  door  grated,  there  was  a 
breath  of  sweet  marjoram  and  melons,  and  then 
MUryanka's  whole  figure  appeared  on  the  threshold. 

She  clapped  the  door  to,  and,  muttering  some- 
thing, ran  back  with  light  steps.  Olyenin  began 
to  tap  lightly,  but  there  was  no  answer.  He  ran 
to  the  window  again  and  listened. 

Suddenly  the  sharp,  shrill  voice  of  a  man 
brought  him  to  his  senses. 


276  ^-^^   COSSACKS. 

"  Excellent !  "  cried  a  short,  little  Cossack,  in  a 
white  lambskin  cap,  coming  up  close  to  Olyenin 
across  the  yard.     "  I  saw  it  all  ;  excellent !  " 

Olyenin  recognized  Nazarka  and  made  no  reply, 
not  knowing  what  to  do  or  say. 

"  Excellent !  Now,  I  shall  go  to  the  village 
elder ;  I  shall  describe  the  whole  thing ;  and  I'll 
tell  her  father  too.  Fine  girl,  the  ensign's  daugh- 
ter !     One  isn't  enough  for  her." 

*'  What  do  you  want  of  me  .-*  what  do  you  re- 
quire }  "  asked  Olyenin. 

"  Nothing,  only  I'm  going  to  tell  the  village 
elder." 

Nazarka  spoke  very  loud,  evidently  on  purpose. 

**  Here  we  have  a  cr^ity  ytmkir  I  " 

Olyenin  trembled  and  turned  pale. 

**  Come  here,  come  here  !  " 

He  seized  him  forcibly  by  the  arm  and  pulled 
him  into  his  khata. 

"There  was  nothing  at  all ;  she  would  not  let 
me  in,  and  I  got  no.  .  .  .  She's  honest.  ..."    • 

"  How  can  I  tell }  "  said  Nazarka. 

"But  I  will  give  you  something,  all  the  same. 
.  .  .  Here,  just  wait  a  minute!  .  .  ." 

Nazarka  made  no  reply.  Olyenin  went  in  and 
handed  the  Cossack  ten  rubles. 

"There  was  nothing  at  all ;  but,  all  the  same,  I 


THE   COSSACKS.  2/7 

was  to  blame ;  here,  I  give  you  this.  Only,  for 
God's  sake,  don't  tell  any  one.  For  there  was 
nothing  at  all.  .  .  ." 

"  Good-bye,"  said  Nazarka,  with  a  laugh,  and 
was  gone. 

Nazarka  had  come  that  evening  to  the  village, 
at  Lukashka's  request,  to  bespeak  a  place  for  a 
horse  that  he  had  stolen,  and,  as  he  was  passing 
through  the  village,  he  had  heard  the  sound  of 
steps.  He  returned  the  next  morning  to  the 
sotnya,  and  told  as  a  good  joke  how  shrewdly  he 
had  got  ten  moneta. 

Olyenin  that  morning  saw  the  family,  and  they 
knew  nothing  of  what  had  happened.  He  did 
not  exchange  any  words  with  Maryana,  and  she 
merely  looked  at  him  and  smiled.  He  spent 
another  sleepless  night,  vainly  wandering  about  the 
courtyard.  The  following  day  he  went  out  hunt- 
ing, and,  when  evening  came,  he  called  on  Byelet- 
sky,  so  as  to  escape  from  himself.  He  was 
alarmed  about  himself,  and  vowed  not  to  visit  the 
ensign's  family  any  more. 

The  next  night,  Olyenin  was  aroused  by  an 
orderly,  who  brought  word  that  his  company  were 
to  start  immediately  on  an  expedition.  He  was 
overjoyed  at  this  deliverance,  and  felt  a  presenti- 
ment that  he  should  never  return  to  the  village. 


278 


THE   COSSACKS. 


The  foray  into  the  mountains  lasted  three  days. 
The  commander-in-chief  desired  to  see  Olyenin, 
who  was  a  relative  of  his,  and  proposed  to  him  to 
take  a  position  on  his  staff.  Olyenin  refused. 
He  could  not  live  away  from  his  village,  and  he 
asked  leave  to  go  back. 

For  the  part  which  he  had  taken  in  the  foray, 
he  was  presented  with  a  military  cross.  But, 
though  he  had  been  so  desirous  of  it  before,  now 
he  felt  absolutely  indifferent,  and  still  more  so  in 
regard  to  his  promotion,  which  had  not  as  yet 
come.  Though  there  was  no  occasion  for  it,  he 
took  Vanyusha  and  rode  down  to  the  line,  reaching 
the  village  some  hours  before  the  company.  All 
the  evening  long  he  sat  on  his  porch,  gazing  at 
Maryana,  and  again  he  spent  the  whole  night 
wandering  up  and  down  the  yard  aimlessly  and 
without  a  thought. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

The  next  morning  Olyenin  awoke  late.  The 
family  were  off  at  their  work.  He  did  not  go 
hunting,  but  now  buried  himself  in  his  book,  now 
went  out  on  the  porch  ;  then  he  went  into  the 
house  again  and  flung  himself  upon  his  bed. 
Vanyusha  thought  that  he  was  ill.  Before  even- 
ing he  sprang  up  with  sudden  resolution,  sat  down 
to  write,  and  wrote  till  late  into  the  night.  He 
wrote  a  letter,  but  did  not  send  it,  because  he 
felt  that  no  one  would  comprehend  what  he 
meant,  and  there  was  no  reason  why  any  one 
beside  himself  should  have  understood. 

This  was  what  he  wrote  :  — 

"  I  have  received  letters  of  condolence  from 
Russia  ;  they  are  alarmed  lest  I  am  going  to  ruin 
by  burying  myself  in  this  wilderness.  They  say 
of  me,  *  He  will  grow  rough,  give  up  all  his  in- 
terests, take  to  drinking,  and,  worse  than  all,  will 
marry  a  Cossack  girl.'  They  say  Yermolof  was 
quite  right  in  declaring  that,  *  any  one  who  lives 
ten  years  in  the  Caucasus  will  either  drink  him- 
self to  death  or  marry  a  harlot.' 
279 


28o  THE   COSSACKS. 

"  How  terrible  !  Indeed,  I  should  not  go  to 
ruin,    but    great    happiness    would    be    mine,  if  I 

became   the    husband    of    the    Countess    13 , 

chamberlain  or  marshal  of  the  nobility !  How 
low  and  despicable  you  seem  to  me  !  You  know 
not  what  happiness  is,  what  life  is  !  You  ought 
once  to  experience  life  in  all  its  artless  beauty  ! 
You  ought  to  see  and  to  realize  what  I  have  each 
day  before  my  eyes :  the  eternal,  inaccessible 
snow  of  the  mountains,  and  a  majestic  woman, 
endowed  with  the  primitive  beauty  in  which  the 
first  woman  must  have  come  from  the  hand  of  the 
Creator,  and  then  you  could  answer  the  question, 
*  Who  is  going  to  destruction  ?  who  is  living 
truly  or  falsely  —  you  or  I  ? ' 

"  If  you  only  knew  how  mean  and  detestable 
you  are  in  your  self-delusions !  The  moment 
that,  instead  of  my  cottage,  my  forest,  and  my 
love,  there  come  up  before  my  imagination  your 
parlors,  your  ladies  with  pomaded  locks  mixed 
in  with  false  hair,  all  those  unnaturally  moving 
lips,  those  weak  limbs  hidden  and  useless,  and 
■that  fashionable  lisp,  which  pretends  to  be  con- 
versation and  has  no  right  to  the  name,  —  then  it 
becomes  insufferably  painful  to  me.  I  am  pained 
at  the  thought  of  those  vacuous  faces,  those  rich, 
marriageable  girls,  whose  faces  seem  to  say,  *  No 


THE   COSSACKS.  28 1 

matter  ;  come,  if  you  wish,  though  I  am  a  rich 
maiden  ; '  that  sitting  down  and  changing  of  places, 
and  that  insolent,  brazen-faced  pairing-off  of  men 
and  women,  and  that  eternal  tittle-tattle,  hypocrisy  ; 
those  rules  and  regulations  —  with  whom  you  must 
shake  hands,  to  whom  you  must  bow,  with  whom 
chat,  and,  finally,  that  everlasting  ennui,  bred  in 
the  bone,  that  descends  from  generation  to  gener- 
ation, and  consciously  too,  with  the  conviction 
that  it  is  inevitable. 

**  Accept  one  thing  or  believe  in  one  thing. 
You  must  see  and  comprehend  what  truth  and 
beauty  are,  and  then  all  that  you  say  and  think 
will  crumble  into  dust,  and  with  it  all  your  wishes 
of  happiness  for  me  and  yourselves.  Happiness 
is  to  be  with  nature,  to  see  her,  to  hold  converse 
with  her. 

"  *  God  preserve  us  !  he  is  going  to  ftiarry  a 
mere  Cossack  girl  and  spoil  all  his  prospects 
in  life.'  I  imagine  they  say  this  about  me,  and 
with  genuine  pity.  But  I  desire  only  one  thing, 
absolute  ruin,  as  you  mean  it ;  I  desire  to  marry 
this  mere  Cossack  maiden,  and  I  hesitate  to  do 
this,  because  it  would  be  a  loftier  happiness  than 
I  deserve. 

"  It  is  three  months  since  I  first  saw  the  Cos- 
sack maiden  Maryana.     The  ideas  and   prejudices 


282  ^^^^   COSSACKS. 

of  that  society  from  which  I  had  come  were  still 
fresh  in  me.  At  that  time  I  felt  that  it  would  be 
impossible  for  me  to  fall  in  love  with  that  woman. 
I  loved  her  just  as  I  loved  the  beauty  of  the 
mountains  and  of  the  sky,  and  I  could  not  help 
loving  her,  because  she  was  beautiful,  just  as  they 
were.  Afterward,  I  became  conscious  that  the 
contemplation  of  such  beauty  was  becoming  a 
necessity  of  my  existence,  and  I  began  to  ask 
myself,  *  A-m  I  not  in  love  with  her  t '  But  I 
found  in  me  nothing  like  such  a  feeling  as  I  imag- 
ined that  love  must  be.  It  was  a  feeling  quite 
distinct  from  the  pang  of  loneliness  and  the  desire 
for  wedlock,  or  from  platonic  affectio'n,  and,  still 
more,  from  the  carnal  affection  which  I  had  expe- 
rienced. 

"  I  felt  the  necessity  upon  me  to  see  her,  to  hear 
her,  to  feel  that  she  was  near  me,  and  I  was  not 
happy,  but  content. 

"  After  the  birthday  party,  when  I  spent  the 
evening  with  her  and  touched  her,  I  felt  the 
consciousness  that  between  me  and  this  woman 
existed  an  indissoluble  though  invisible  bond, 
against  which  it  was  impossible  to  struggle. 

"But  still  I  struggled;  I  said  to  myself,  *  Is  it 
possible  for  me  to  love  this  woman,  who  could 
never  appreciate  the  intellectual  interests  of  my 


THE   COSSACKS.  283 

life  ?  Would  it  be  possible  to  love  a  woman  for 
her  beauty  alone,  to  love  a  statue  ? '  This  was 
what  I  asked  myself,  but  I  was  already  loving  her, 
although  I  did  not  believe  in  my  own  feeling. 

"  After  the  evening  of  the  party,  at  which  I 
spoke  to  her  for  the  first  time,  our  relations  were 
changed.  Hitherto,  she  had  been,  for  me,  a 
strange  but  majestic  object  of  external  nature ; 
after  the  party,  she  became  a  human  being.  I 
began  to  meet  her,  to  talk  with  her,  to  see  her 
working  in  the  vineyard,  to  spend  whole  evenings 
at  their  house.  And,  on  coming  into  these  close 
relations  with  her,  she  still  remained  in  my  eyes, 
as  ever,  pure,  unapproachable,  majestic.  She 
always  and  everywhere  replied  simply,  calmly, 
proudly,  and  with  gay  indifference.  Sometimes 
she  was  affectionate,  but  generally  every  glance, 
every  word,  every  motion  of  hers  were  expressive 
of  that  —  not  contemptuous  —  but  crushing  and 
bewitching  indifference. 

"  Every  day,  with  a  simulated  smile  on  my  lips, 
I  strove  to  hide  my  real  feelings,  and,  with  the 
torment  of  passion  and  desire  in  my  heart,  I  ex- 
changed trifling  remarks  with  her.  She  saw  that 
I  was  dissembling,  but  her  eyes  looked  simply, 
directly,  and  gayly  into  mine.  This  state  of 
things  began  to  grow  unendurable.     I  desired  to 


284  '^^^^^   COSSACKS. 

be  honest  before  her;  I  desired  to  tell  her  all 
that  I  thought  and  felt.  I  was  unusually  stirred  ; 
it  was  in  the  vineyard.  I  began  to  tell  her  about 
my  love,  in  words  which  it  makes  me  ashamed  to 
recall — ashamed,  because  I  ought  not  to  have 
dared  to  speak  of  this  with  her,  because  she  stood 
immeasurably  above  such  words  and  the  sentiment 
which  I  wished  to  express  by  means  of  them.  I 
came^  to  a  halt,  and,  from  that  day,  my  position 
became  insufferable.  I  did  not  wish  to  degrade 
myself  by  still  keeping  up  my  former  trivial  rela- 
tions, and  I  was  not  qualified  for  simple  and 
straightforward  relations. 

"  I  asked  myself,  in  despair,  *  What  ahi  I  to 
do.^'  In  foolish  dreams,  I  imagined  this  woman 
now  as  my  mistress,  now  as  my  wife,  and  I  was 
seized  with  aversion  at  the  idea  of  either.  To 
make  her  my  mistress  would  have  been  disgust- 
ing; it  would  have  been  suicide.  To  make  her 
my  bdriiinyay  a  lady,  the  wife  of  Dmitri  Andreye- 
vitch  Olyenin,  as  one  of  our  officers  here  did,  who 
married  a  Cossack  girl,  would  have  been  still 
worse. 

"  Now,  if  I  could  only  become  a  Cossack,  like 
Lukashka,  steal  horses,  get  tipsy  on  red  wine,  shout 
ribald  songs,  shoot  men  down,  and  then,  while 
drunk,  creep  in  through   the   window  where  she 


THE   COSSACKS.  285 

was,  without  a  thought  of  what  I  was  doing  or 
why  I  did  it,  that  would  be  another  thing,  then 
we  should  understand  one  another,  then  I  might 
be  happy.  I  proposed  to  give  myself  up  to  this 
sort  of  life  and  then  I  became  still  more  con- 
scious of  my  weakness,  my  inefficiency.  I  could 
not  forget  myself  and  my  complicated,  abnormal 
past.  And  my  future  appeared  still  more  hope- 
less. Each  day  before  me  the  far-off,  snowy 
mountains  and  this  majestic,  light-hearted  woman. 
And  the  only  happiness  in  the  world  out  of  my 
reach,  this  woman,  unattainable  for  me !  Most 
terrible  and  sweetest  to  me  was  the  thought  that 
I  could  understand  her  and  that  she  could  never 
understand  me.  She  fails  to  understand  me,  not 
because  she  is  beneath  me,  not  at  all ;  it  would  be 
out  of  the  nature  of  things  for  her  to  understand 
me.  She  is  light-hearted  ;  she  is  like  nature,  is 
calm,,  tranquil,  and  sufficient  unto  herself.  But  I, 
an  incomplete,  feeble  creature,  wish  her  to  under- 
stand my  ugliness  and  my  anguish, 

"  I  could  not  sleep  nights  and  I  wandered  aim- 
lessly under  her  windows,  and  yet  I  was  not  able 
to  explain  to  myself  what  I  was  after. 

"  On  the  eighteenth  our  company  went  on .  a 
foray  into  the  mountains.  For  three  days  I  was 
away  from  the  village.     My  heart  was  heavy,  and 


286  THE   COSSACKS. 

all  things  were  the  same  to  me.  Songs,  cards, 
carousals,  chatter  about  promotions,  which  occu- 
pied the  men  on  the  frontier,  were  more  than 
ever  offensive  to  me.  To-day  I  came  back.  I 
have  seen  her,  have  seen  my  khata.  Uncle  Ye- 
roshka,  the  snowy  mountains  from  my  porch,  and 
such  a  strong,  novel  sense  of  joy  came  over  me 
because  I  knew  it  all !  I  love  this  woman  with 
genuine  love,  I  love  for  the  first  and  only  time  in 
my  life.  I  know  what  is  in  my  heart.  I  have  no 
fear  of  degrading  myself  by  this  feeling ;  I  am 
not  ashamed  of  my  love  ;  I  am  proud  of  it.  .  .  . 

"  I  am  not  to  blame  that  I  am  in  love.  It  was 
done  against  my  will.  I  tried  to  escape  from  it 
by  giving  up  to  self-renunciation  ;  I  imagined  that 
I  was  glad  in  the  Cossack  Lukashka's  love  for 
Maryanka,  and  I  merely  exasperated  my  love  and 
my  jealousy.  This  is  not  an  ideal,  a  so-called 
exalted  love,  such  as  I  have  experienced  before ; 
neither  is  it  the  feeling  of  attraction,  by  which 
you  are  drawn  toward  your  love,  by  which  you 
find  in  your  own  heart  the  foun4:ain  of  your  affec- 
tion, and  have  everything  under  your  own  control. 
I  have  experienced  this  also.  It  is  still  less  a 
desire  for  bliss  ;  it  is  something  quite  different. 

**  Perhaps  in  her  I  love  nature,  the  personifica- 
tion of  all  that  is  beautiful  in  nature  ;  but  I  have 


THE   COSSACKS.  28/ 

lost  my  power  of  will  and  I  am  become  the  instru- 
ment by  which  she  is  loved  by  the  elemental 
power,  by  the  universe  of  God ;  all  nature  im- 
prints this  love  into  my  soul,  and  says,  'Love!' 
I  love  her  not  with  my  intellect,  not  with  my 
imagination,  but  with  my  whole  being.  In  loving 
her,  I  feel  that  I  am  an  inseparable  part  of  all 
God's  happy  world. 

**  I  wrote  you  before  about  my  new  convictions, 
which  were  the  offspring  of  my  lonely  life  ;  but 
no  one  can  know  how  laboriously  they  were 
worked  out  by  me,  with  what  joy  I  fell  under 
their  sway,  and  recognized  the  new  path  of  life 
opening  out  before  me.  Nothing  could  have  been 
dearer  to  me  than  these  convictions.  .  .  .  Well, 
.  .  .  love  came  and  where  are  they  .^  Not  even  re- 
grets for  them  remain.  It  is  hard  for  me  even  to 
comprehend  that  I  was  able  to  prize  such  a  one- 
sided, chilling,  intellectual  state  of  mind.  Beauty 
came,  and  all  the  edifice  which  I  had  laboriously 
raised  crumbled  into  dust.  And  I  have  no  re- 
grets at  my  disillusionment.  Self-renunciation  is 
all  rubbish,  fiddle-faddle.  It  is  all  pride,  the 
refuge  from  deserved  unhappiness,  a  salvation 
from  jealousy  at  another's  happiness.  To  live  for 
others,  to  do  good  !♦  Why  }  When  my  soul  is 
filled  with  love  for  myself   and  one  desire  —  to 


288  THE   COSSACKS. 

love  her  and  to  live  with  her,  to  live  her  life.  Not 
for  others,  not  for  Lukashka,  do  I  now  desire 
happiness.  I  do  not  now  love  these  others. 
Before  this  I  should  have  said  that  this  was 
wrong.  I  should  have  tormented  myself  with 
questions  :  what  will  become  of  her,  of  me,  of 
Lukashka  ,-*  Now,  it  is  of  no  consequence  to  me. 
I  live  not  by  my  own  self,^but  there  is  a  stronger 
than  I  which  directs  me.  I  am  tormented,  but, 
whereas  before  I  was  dead,  now  I  am  alive.  To- 
day I  am  going  to  her,  and  shall  tell  her  all." 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

After  writing  this  letter,  Olyenin,  though  it 
was  late  in  the  evening,  went  over  to  the  ensign's 
khata.  The  old  dame  was  sitting  on  a  bench, 
behind  the  oven,  spinning  cocoons.  Maryana, 
with  uncovered  head,  was  sewing  by  candle  light. 
When  she  saw  Olyenin,  she  jumped  up,  took  her 
kerchief,  and  went  to  the  oven. 

"  Come,  stay  with  us,  Maryanushka,"  said 
Dame  Ulitka. 

**  Nay,  I'm  bare-headed." 

And  she  climbed  upon  the  oven. 

Olyenin  could  not  keep  his  eyes  from  her  knee 
and  her  beautifully  rounded  leg  hanging  down. 
He  treated  Dame  Ulitka  to  tea.  She,  in  return, 
offered  her  guest  cream  cheese,  sending  Maryana 
to  get  it.  But,  after  setting  the  plate  on  the 
table,  she  again  climbed  upon  the  oven,  and  Olye- 
nin felt  only  her  eyes.  They  chatted  about  farm 
management.  Dame  Ulitka  came  and  went  in 
the  enthusiasm  of  a  housekeeper.  She  brought 
Olyenin  grape  jelly,  grape  cakes,  her  best  wine, 
and  insisted  on  treating  him  with  that   rude  and 


290 


THE   COSSACKS. 


proud  hospitality  peculiar  to  plebeians  who  earn 
their  bread  in  the  sweat  of  their  brow.  The  old 
dame,  who  had  at  first  so  mortified  Olyenin  by 
her  rudeness,  now  often  touched  him  by  her  sim- 
ple affectionate  treatment  of  her  daughter. 

"  Why  fly  in  the  face  of  Providence,  batyushka ! 
We  have  everything,  thank  God  !  we've  been 
pressing  wine  and  storing  it  away,  and  we  shall 
sell  three  barrels  and  still  have  enouGfh  to  drink. 
Don't  go  yet.  We  will  drink  some  more  together 
in  honor  of  the  coming  wedding." 

"  But  when  is  the  wedding } "  asked  Olyenin, 
feeling  all  his  blood  rush  to  his  face  and  his  heart 
beat  irregularly  and  painfully. 

There  was  heard  a  rustling  behind  the  oven, 
and  the  cracking  of  seeds. 

"  Well,  why  should  we  put  it  off  any  longer  } 
We  are  ready,"  replied  the  old  dame,  simply  and 
as  calmly  as  though  there  were  no  such  person  as 
Olyenin  in  the  world.  "  I  have  got  everything  all 
ready  for  Maryanushka  —  a  whole  store  of  things. 
We  shall  give  her  a  good  send-off.  There's  only 
one  little  thing  that's  not  quite  right.  Our  Lu- 
kashka  has  been  very  wild  of  late ;  he's  on  a 
spree  all  the  time.  He  is  full  of  his  pranks. 
The  other  day  a  Cossack  came  in  from  the  sotnya 
and  said  that  he  had  gone  off  to  the  Nogai'." 


THE   COSSACKS. 


291 


"  He'd  better  look  out ! "  said  Olyenin. 

"  Well,  I  say  to  him,  *  Lukashka,  don't  run 
such  risks ;  you're  a  young  man  ;  of  course,  you 
want  to  show  off ;  but  you  have  time  enough  for 
everything.  You've  fought,  and  you've  stolen 
horses,  and  you've  killed  an  abrek ;  you're  a 
bravo  !  But  now  you  might  Hve  quietly.'  -r-  But 
now  he's  acting  abominably." 

"  Yes,  I  saw  him  twice  on  the  frontier  ;  he  was 
tipsy  all  the  time.  He  had  just  swapped  another 
horse,"  said  Olyenin,  looking  toward  the  stove. 

Two  great,  black  eyes  flashed  a  stern  and  un- 
friendly glance  at  him.  He  began  to  feel 
ashamed  at  what  he  had  said. 

"  Well,  he's  never  done  any  one  any  harm," 
said  Maryana,  suddenly.  "  He  spends  his  own 
money,  any  way,"  and  she  leaped  down  from  the 
oven  and  went  out,  slamming  the  door  behind 
her. 

Olyenin  followed  her  motions  with  his  eyes, 
and,  after  she  had  gone  out,  he  gazed  at  the  door 
and  waited,  not  heeding  what  Dame  Ulitka  said  to 
him.  After  a  little  while,  some  guests  came  in  : 
an  old  man,  Dame  Ulitka's  brother,  and  Uncle  Ye- 
roshka,  and,  behind  them,  Maryana  and  Ustenka. 

"  How  do  you  do  to-day  }  "  whined  Ustenka. 
"  You're  always  having  a  good  time." 


292  THE   COSSACKS. 

"  Yes,  I-  am  having  a  good  time,"  he  replied, 
and,  for  some  unaccountable  reason,  felt  awkward 
and  ashamed.  He  wanted  to  go  and  could  not. 
It  also  seemed  to  him  impossible  for  him  to  sit 
there  and  say  nothing.  The  old  man  came  to  his 
aid  by  asking  Olyenin  to  drink  with  him,  and  they 
did  so.  Then  Olyenin  drank  with  Uncle  Yeroshka. 
Then  again  with  the  other  Cossack.  Then  again 
with  Yeroshka.  And  the  more  he  drank  the 
heavier  became  his  heart.  But  the  old  men 
became  lively.  The  two  girls  climbed  on  the 
oven  and  talked  together  in  a  whisper,  looking  at 
them  while  they  drank. 

Olyenin  had  nothing  to  say,  but  he  drank 
more  than  all  the  rest.  The  two  old  Cossacks 
began  to  scream  at  each  other.  Dame  Ulitka 
drove  them  out  and  refused  to  let  them  have 
any  more  red  wine.  The  girls  laughed  at  Uncle 
Yeroshka,  and  it  was  already  ten  o'clock  when 
they  all  went  out  upon  the  porch.  The  old 
Cossacks  invited  themselves  to  go  and  make  a 
night  of  it  at  Olyenin's.  Ustenka  went  home. 
Yeroshka  and  Dame  Ulitka's  brother  went  to 
find  Vanyusha,  and  the  old  dame  herself  disap- 
peared in  the  dairy,  to  j^ut  things  in  order  for  the 
night. 

Maryana   was   left   alone   in     the   khata.      01- 


THE  COSSACKS. 


293 


yenin  noticed  it.  He  felt  as  fresh  and  sound  as 
though  he  had  just  woke  up.  Escaping  from  the 
old  men,  he  went  back  to  the  khata.  Maryana 
had  lain  down  to  sleep.  He  went  up  to  her  and 
tried  to  say  something,  but  his  voice  failed  him. 
She  sat  down  on  the  bed,  drew  up  her  feet  under 
her,  getting  as  far  away  from  him  as  possible,  and 
silently  looked  at  him  with  a  wild,  frightened 
look.  She  was  evidently  afraid  of  him.  Olyenin 
was  conscious  of  it.  He  felt  disgusted  and 
ashamed  of  himself,  and,  at  the  same  time,  had  a 
certain  proud  satisfaction  at  the  thought  that  he 
had  inspired  even  this  feeling  in  her. 

"  Maryana,"  said  he,  "  will  you  never  have  pity 
upon  me  }     You  don't  know  how  I  love  you  !  " 

She  moved  still  farther  away. 

*'  It  is  the  wine  that  is  speaking  and  not  you. 
You  do  not  mean  what  you  say." 

"  It  is  not  the  wine.  Give  up  Lukashka.  I  will 
marry  you."  —  "What  is  that  I  am  sayidg  .^  "  he 
asked  himself,  at  the  same  time  that  he  said  those 
words.  "  Should  I  say  the  same  thing  to-mor- 
row }  "  —  "  Yes,  now  and  forever  !  "  some  inner 
voice  seemed  to  answer. 

"  Will  you  be  mine  }  " 

She  looked  at  him  earnestly,  and  her  fear 
seemed  to  leave  her. 


294 


THE   COSSACKS. 


"  Maryana,  I  am  beside  myself  !  I  am  not  my 
own  master !  Whatever  you  bid  me  do  I  will 
obey,"  and  a  stream  of  incoherent,  tender  words 
of  love  came  of  their  own  free  will. 

"  Now,  what  nonsense  !  "  she  exclaimed,  inter- 
rupting him  and  suddenly  seizing  the  hand  which 
he  extended  toward  her.  But  she  did  not  push 
away  his  hand  ;  on  the  contrary,  she  pressed  it 
firmly  between  her  strong,  hard  fingers. 

*'  Do  gentlemen  marry  Cossack  girls .?  Go 
away ! " 

"  But  will  you  be  mine  ?     I  always  .  .  ." 

*'  But  what  shall  we  do  with  Lukashka  ?  "  said 
she,  with  a  smile. 

He  snatched  away  the  hand,  which  she  was 
still  holding,  and  firmly  clasped  her  young  body. 
But  she  sprang  out  of  his  arms  like  a  deer,  leaped 
down,  and  ran,  in  her  bare  feet,  out  on  the  porch. 
Then  Olyenin  came  to  his  senses  and  was  horri- 
fied at  himself.  Again  it  seemed  to  him  that  he 
was  inexpressibly  base  compared  to  her.  But, 
not  for  a  moment  regretting  what  he  had  said,  he 
went  home,  and,  without  vouchsafing  a  glance  at 
the  old  Cossacks  carousing  on  his  wine,  he  threw 
himself  down  on  his  couch  and  slept  more  soundly 
than  he  had  for  many  nights. 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

The  next  clay  was  a  saint's  day.  In  the  after- 
noon all  the  population  were  in  the  street,  their 
holiday  attire  making  a  brave  show  in  the  bright 
rays  of  the  setting  sun. 

The  wine  harvest  had  been  more  generous  than 
usual.  The  people  were  through  with  their 
labors.  In  a  month  the  Cossacks  would  be  on 
the  march,  and  meantime  many  families  were  get- 
ting ready  to  celebrate  weddings.  On  the  village 
square,  before  the  town  house,  the  greater  part  of 
the  people  were  collected  near  the  two  shops,  the 
one  devoted  to  candies  and  melon  seeds,  the 
other  to  calicoes  and  wearing  apparel.  On  the 
terrace  surrounding  the  town  house  sat  and  stood 
the  old  men,  in  sober  gray  and  black  zipuns  with- 
out braid  or  decoration.  Calmly,  with  measured 
voices,  they  chatted  together  about  the  crops  and 
about  "the  boys,"  about  communal  matters  and 
about  the  good  old  times,  and  gazed  majestically 
and  with  cool  indifference  upon  the  rising  gener- 
ation. 

The  women  and  maidens,  as  they  passed  in 
295 


296  THE   COSSACKS. 

front  of  them,  paused  and  bent  their  heads.  The 
young  Cossacks  reverently  slackened  their  steps, 
and,  taking  off  their  papakhi,  or  lambskin  caps, 
lifted  them  up  high  above  their  heads.  The  old 
men  stopped  talking  and  looked,  some  sternly, 
some  affectionately,  at  the  young  men,  as  they 
passed  by,  lifting  their  tall  caps  and  putting  them 
on  again. 

The  Cossack  maidens  had  not  as  yet  begun  to 
dance  the  khorovod,  or  popular  choral  dance,  but, 
collecting  in  groups,  dressed  in  variegated  besh- 
mets  and  with  white  kerchiefs  wrapping  their 
faces  up  to  their  eyes,  they  sat  on  the  grass  and 
the  terraces  of  the  cottages,  out  of  the  slanting 
rays  of  the  sun,  and  laughed  and  chatted  with 
merry  voices. 

Little  boys  and  girls  were  playing  lapta,  or  ten- 
nis, flinging  the  ball  high  into  the  cloudless  sky 
and  running  about  the  square  with  shouts  and 
cries.  Girls  in  their  teens  were  at  one  end  of  the 
square,  practising  the  khorovod  and  piping  up  the 
song  with  their  timid,  shrill  voices.  The  Cossack 
clerks  and  young  lads,  come  home  from  the  gov- 
ernment school  on  leave  of  absence  for  the  festi- 
val, dressed  in  clean  linen  and  in  new  red  cher- 
keskas  embroidered  with  braid,  wandered  about, 
with  festiv^e  faces,  in  groups  of  twos  and  threes, 


THE   COSSACKS. 


297 


hand  in  hand,  from  one  group  of  women  and  girls 
to  another,  and,  pausing,  exchanged  remarks  and 
jests  with  them. 

The  Armenian  shopkeeper,  in  a  blue  cherkeska 
of  fine  cloth  edged  with  braid,  was  standing  at 
the  open  door  of  his  shop,  where  rows  of  bright- 
colored  kerchiefs  were  spread  out  in  tempting 
array,  and  awaited  purchasers,  with  the  proud 
bearing  of  an  oriental  merchant  and  the  con- 
sciousness of  his  own  importance. 

Two  red-bearded,  bare-footed  Chechens,  who 
had  come  from  the  other  side  of  the  Terek  to 
witness  the  festival,  squatted  in  the  door  of  their 
acquaintance's  house,  and,  as  they  carelessly 
smoked  their  short  pipes  and  spat,  exchanged 
observations  in  guttural  tones. 

Here  and  there  a  soldier,  in  ordinary  dress,  in 
his  old  cloak,  would  saunter  amid  the  gay-colored 
groups  across  the  square.  Now  and  then  already 
began  to  be  heard  the  drunken  songs  of  carousing 
Cossacks.  All  the  cottages  were  shut  up  ;  the 
porches  had  been  cleanly  washed  the  evening 
before.  Even  the  old  women  were  out-of-doors. 
Everywhere  on  the  dry,  dusty  streets  were  scat- 
tered the  shells  of  melon  and  pumpkin  seeds. 
The  air  was  mild  and  calm;  the  cloudless  sky, 
blue  and  transparent.     The  dull,  white  crests  of 


298  THE  COSSACKS. 

the  mountains,  rising  above  the  roofs,  seemed 
close  at  hand  and  were  growing  rosy  in  the  rays 
of  the  setting  sun.  Occasionally,  in  the  direction 
of  the  river,  echoed  the  distant  report  of  a  can- 
non shot.  But  in  the  village  were  heard  commin- 
gling only  the  varied  sounds  of  a  merry  festival. 

Olyenin  had  been  all  the  morning  out  in  the 
yard,  hoping  to  see  Maryana.  But  she  had 
dressed  and  gone  to  the  chapel  to  mass  ;  then, 
after  she  had  spent  some  time  on  the  terrace  with 
the  other  girls,  cracking  seeds,  she  had  come  home 
with  some  of  her  companions,  and  had  given  the 
lodger  a  gay  and  affectionate  glance.  Olyenin 
was  afraid  to  speak  jestingly  with  her,  especially 
before  the  others.  He  wanted  to  talk  with  her 
about  what  had  taken  place  the  evening  before, 
and  to  have  a  final  answer  from  her.  He  waited 
for  another  such  moment  as  he  had  experienced 
the  evening  before  ;  but  the  moment  did  not  come, 
and  he  felt  that  to  remain  in  such  a  state  of  un- 
certainty was  more  than  he  could  bear.  She 
again  went  out  into  the  street,  and,  after  a 
little  time,  he  followed  her,  not  knowing  where  he 
was  going.  He  passed  the  corner  where  she  was 
standing,  all  radiant  in  her  blue  satin  beshmet, 
and  his  heart  was  filled  with  a  sweet  pain  when  he 
heard  her  girlish  laughter. 


THE   COSSACKS.  290 

Byeletsky's  khata  was  on  the  square.  As  Olye- 
nin  walked  by  it,  he  heard  the  young  prince's 
voice  calling  him  to  come  in,  and  he  did  so. 
While  talking  they  both  sat  down  in  the  window. 
They  were  soon  joined  by  Uncle  Yeroshka,  in  a 
new  beshmet ;  he  took  his  seat  near  them,  on  the 
floor. 

"  There  is  the  aristocratic  crowd,"  exclaimed 
Byeletsky,  pointing  with  his  cigarette  to  a  gay- 
colored  group  on  the  corner,  with  a  smile.  "  And 
there  is  my  girl !  do  you  see  her  }  in  red.  It's  a 
new  dress.  —  Say,  are  you  going  to  begin  the 
dances  ? "  shouted  the  young  man,  from  the  win- 
dow. "Just  wait  till  it  grows  dark  and  we  will  join 
them.  Then  we  will  take  them  round  to  Usten- 
ka's ;  we  must  give  them  a  ball." 

"  And  I  will  go  to  Ustenka's  too,"  said  Olyenin, 
decisively.     "  Will  Maryana  be  there  }  " 

"  Certainly  !  come,  by  all  means,"  said  Byeletsky, 
not  in  the  least  surprised.  "  And  isn't  that  pict- 
uresque } "  he  added,  pointing  to  the  gayly 
dressed  girls. 

"  Yes,  very,"  assented  Olyenin,  trying  to  appear 
calm.  "On  such  festivals,"  he  added,  "I  always 
wonder  why  it  is  that  in  consequence  of  its  being 
such  a  day  of  the  month,  say  the  fifteenth,  as 
to-day,  all  the  people  become  suddenly  so  gay  and 


300  ^-^^^    COSSACK'S. 

content  ?  Everything  shows  that  it  is  a  festi- 
val :  eyes  and  faces  and  voices  and  motions  and 
dresses,  and  the  air  and  the  sun." 

"  Yes  ! "  said  Byeletsky,  who  was  not  fond  of 
such  abstruse  questions.  —  *'  But  why  don't  you 
drink,  old  man  "i "  said  he,  turning  to  Uncle 
Yeroshka. 

Yeroshka  winked  to  Olyenin,  and  said,  referring 
to  Byeletsky  :  — 

"  Truly,  this  kunak  of  yours  is  a  fine  fellow." 

Byeletsky  lifted  his  glass.  ''Allah  birdid!''^ 
said  he,  as  he  drained  his  glass. 

'' SaiL  bid!''  ("To  your  health")  exclaimed 
Uncle  Yeroshka,  with  a  smile,  and  draining  his 
glass. 

**  You  call  this  a  festival,"  said  he  to  Olyenin, 
standing  up  and  glancing  out  of  the  window. 
"  What  sort  of  a  festival  is  this !  You  should 
have  seen  how  they  celebrated  them  in  old  times. 
The  women  used  to  come  out  dressed  in  sarafans, 
all  embroidered  with  galloon,  and  with  a  double 
row  of  gold  coins  around  their  breasts,  and  golden 
headdresses^    on  their  heads.     When  they  went 

*  Allah  birdtii  means  God  has  given,  and  is  the  ordinary  greet- 
ing employed  by  the  Cossacks. when  they  drink  together.  —  Au- 
thor's note  in  text. 

^  The  national  headdress,  called  kokoshnik. 


THE   COSSACKS.  301 

along,  *  f r,  fr  !  *  what  a  rustle  they  made!  Each 
woman  was  like  a  princess  !  They  used  to  go 
along  in  whole  swarms,  singing  songs  till  your 
heart  would  ache.  They  would  carouse  all  night 
long.  And  the  Cossacks  would  roll  out  whole 
barrels  of  wine  in  their  yards,  and  they  would  sit 
down  and  keep  it  up  till  morning.  And  then, 
making  a  string,  they  would  go  along  the  street, 
hand  in  hand,  to  the  very  end  of  the  village. 
Everybody  they  met  they  would  make  come  along 
too.  Yes,  and  they  would  go  from  one  to  another. 
Sometimes  they  would  carouse  three  days  run- 
ning. My  father  used  to  come  in,  I  remember, 
all  red  and  puffed  up,  without  his  cap,  all  un- 
strung ;  he  would  come  home,  and  how  he  would 
scold !  Mother  used  to  know  how  to  manage 
him  ;  she  would  give  him  cold  caviare  and  red 
wine  to  sober  off  on,  and  then  go  out  herself 
through  the  village  in  search  of  his  cap.  The 
idea  of  drinking  two  days  and  nights  steady ! 
What  men  they  were  then  !  But  look  at  them 
now !  " 

"  Well,  how  did  the  girls  look  in  their  sarafans  ? 
Did  they  carouse  alone  by  themselves  }  "  asked 
Byeletsky. 

**  Indeed,  they  did  !  The  Cossacks  would  come 
in  or  dash  up  on  their  horses  and  try  to  break  up 


302 


THE   COSSACKS. 


their  dances,  but  the  girls  even  would  take  their 
clubs.  On  Shrovetide  once,  some  young  bravo 
tried  to  break  them  up,  but  they  fought ;  they 
beat  his  horse  and  they  beat  him.  Then,  the 
fellows  would  break  down  the  fences,  seize  the 
girl  they  loved,  and  away  with  her !  How  they 
used  to  love  them !  Oh,  what  girls  they  were ! 
Perfect  queens  !  " 


CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

Just  at  this  time,  two  riders  came  into  the 
square  from  a  side  street.  One  of  them  was 
Nazarka,  the  other  Lukashka.  Liikashka  sat 
somewhat  sidewise  on  his  fat  bay  Kabarda,  which 
came  lightly  prancing  along  the  hard  street,  and 
tossing  its  handsome  head,  with  its  shiny,  silken 
forelock.  The  gun  in  its  case,  cleverly  balanced 
on  his  back,  and  the  pistol  behind  him,  and  the 
felt  burka  rolled  up  and  fastened  behind  the  sad- 
dle, made  it  evident  that  Lukashka  had  ridden 
down  from  some  distant,  warlike  place.  The 
showy  manner  in  which  he  sat  sidewise  upon  his 
horse,  the  careless  motion  of  his  hand  as  he 
almost  audibly  tapped  his  horse's  belly  with  his 
whip,  and,  above  all,  his  flashing,  black  eyes, 
glancing  haughtily  around,  all  gave  evidence  of 
conscious  strength  and  the  self-confidence  of 
youth. 

"  Do  you  see  what  a  bravo  I  am  !  "  his  eyqs 
seemed  to  demand,  as  they  glanced  from  side 
to  side.  The  stately  steed,  with  its  silver- 
mounted  trappings  and  weapons,  and  the  hand- 
303 


304  '^^^^   COSSACKS. 

some  Cossack  himself  attracted  the  attention  of 
all  the  populace  gathered  on  the  square.  Na- 
zarka,  lank  and  short,  was  not  dressed  nearly  as 
well  as  his  friend.  As  they  rode  by  the  old  men, 
Lukashka  reined  in  his  horse  and  lifted  high  above 
his  smoothly  shaven,  black  head  his  papakh, 
trimmed  with  curly,  white  lamb's-wool. 

"  Well,  have  you  driven  off  many  Nogaif 
horses  }  "  asked  a  withered  little  old  man,  with  a 
dark,  scowling  face. 

"  Well,  can't  you  count,  grandsire,  that  you 
have  to  ask } "  replied  Lukashka,  avoiding  his 
question. 

''It's  no  use  taking  that  fellow  along  with  you," 
muttered  the  little  old  man,  with  a  still  blacker 
scowl. 

"  Uncle  Burlak  seems  to  know  all  about  it," 
muttered  Lukashka,  and  his  face  assumed  a  troub- 
led expression  ;  but,  glancing  toward  a  group  of 
Cossack  girls,  he  spurred  his  horse  toward  them. 

"Good  evening,  girls,"  he  cried,  in  his  strong, 
exuberant  voice,  suddenly  reining  in  his  horse. 
"  Without  me,  you  were  growing  old,  you  hags 
you  !  "  and  he  laughed  at  his  own  pleasantry. 

"  Hullo,  Lukashka !  how  are  you,  my  dear 
boy  }  "  exclaimed  many  merry  voices.  "  Have 
you  plenty  of  money  ?  .  .  .  Will  you  get  us  girls 


THE   COSSACKS, 


305 


some  candy  ?  .  .  .  Have  you  come  for  long  ?  .  .  . 
It's  an  age  since  we  have  seen  you  ! " 

"  Nazarka  and  I  have  come  in  on  a  flying  visit, 
just  for  a  spree,"  replied  Lukashka,  cracking  his 
whip  over  the  horse  and  riding  him  straight  at 
the  girls. 

"  And  here's  Maryanka  forgotten  you  entirely," 
squealed  Ustenka,  nudging  Maryana  with  her 
elbow,  and  bursting  into  a  shrill  laugh. 

Maryana  stepped  out  of  the  way  of  the  horse, 
and,  throwing  her  head  back,  looked  straight  at 
the  Cossack  with  her  big,  flashing  eyes. 

"But  it  has  been  so  long  since  you  were  here  ! 
Why  are  you  trying  to  trample  us  with  your 
horse  ?  "  she  asked,  dryly,  and  turned  away. 

Lukashka  seemed  perfectly  gay.  His  face 
glowed  with  daring  and  pleasure.  Maryana's  cool 
answer  evidently  piqued  him.  He  suddenly 
frowned. 

"  Climb  up  by  the  stirrup,  and  I  will  carry  you 
off  to  the  mountains,  mamochka  !  "  he  suddenly 
cried,  as  though  putting  evil  thoughts  to  flight  ; 
and  he  rode  like  a  jigit  among  the  girls.  He  bent 
down  to  Maryana.  "  I  will  have  my  kiss,  I  will 
have  my  kiss  yet,  so  there  ! "  Maryana's  eyes 
met  his,  and  she  suddenly  blushed.  She  slipped 
out  of  his  way. 


3o6  THE   COSSACKS. 

"  Now,  be  careful !  You  will  step  on  my  feet !  " 
she  exclaimed,  and,  bending  over,  she  glanced 
down  at  her  neatly  fitting,  blue  stockings  with 
clocks,  and  her  new  red  chuviaki,  embroidered 
with  narrow  silver  braid. 

Lukashka  turned  to  Ustenka,  and  Maryana  sat 
down  next  a  young  Cossack  woman,  who  held  a 
baby  in  her  arms.  The  child  was  attracted  to  the 
girl,  and  its  chubby  hands  clutched  after  the  string 
of  the  necklace  which  hung  down  over  her  blue 
beshmet.  Maryana  bent  down  to  it  and  looked  at 
Lukashka  out  of  the  corner  of  h^r  eyes.  At  this 
moment,  he  was  pulling  from  under  his  cherkeska, 
out  of  the  pocket  of  his  black  beshmet,  a  package 
of  sweetmeats  and  seeds. 

"  It's  for  all  of  you,"  he  said,  handing  the  pack- 
age to  Ustenka  and  glancing  at  Maryanka  with  a 
smile. 

Again  a  look  of  perplexity  came  over  the  girl's 
face.  Something  like  a  cloud  came  into  her  eyes. 
She  dropped  her  kerchief  below  her  lips,  and  sud- 
denly, putting  her  lips  against  the  pale  face  of  the 
child,  which  was  still  clutching  her  necklace,  she 
began  to  kiss  it  passionately.  The  baby,  pushing 
against  the  young  girl's  bosom,  began  to  cry, 
opening  its  mouth  and  showing  its  toothless 
gums. 


THE   COSSACKS.  307 

"  Are  you  trying  to  choke  the  baby  ?  "  asked 
the  mother,  taking  him  to  herself,  and  opening 
her  beshmet  to  give  the  child  the  breast. 
"You'd  better  make  up-with  the  lad." 

**  I'll  just  go  and  put  up  the  horse,  and  Nazarka 
and  I  will  carouse  the  livelong  night !  "  exclaimed 
Lukashka,  hitting  the  animal  with  his  whip  and 
galloping  away  from  the  girls. 

Returning  to  the  side  street,  he  and  Nazarka 
went  to  two  cottages  that  stood  side  by  side. 

**  They  have  had  supper,  brother  !  Come  back 
as  soon  as  you  can !  "  cried  Lukashka  to  his 
friend,  dismounting  at  his  dooryard  and  warily 
leading  the  horse  into  the  plaited  gates  of  his 
own  yard. 

"Hullo,  Stepka  !  "  \\z  said  to  the  dumb  girl, 
who,  also  dressed  in  festal  array,  came  out  to  lead 
away  the  horse.  And  by  signs  he  made  her  un- 
derstand that  she  should  put  him  in  the  shed,  but 
not  unsaddle  him. 

The  dumb  girl  made  a  strange  noise,  clucked 
with  her  tongue,  and  kissed  the  horse  on  the 
nose.  That  signified  that  she  liked  the  horse  and 
thought  him  a  fine  one. 

"  How  are  you,  mother }  What  !  have  you  ;iot 
gone  out  yet } "  cried  Lukashka,  taking  off  his 
gun  and  mounting  the  steps. 


3o8 


THE   COSSACKS. 


His  old  mother  opened  the  door  for  him. 

"  You  see,  I  didn't  expect  you ;  I  didn't  have 
an  idea  of  such  a  thing,"  said  she,  ''for  Kirka  said 
you  wouldn't  come." 

"  Bring  a  little  wine  !  come,  mother.  Nazarka 
will  be  here  ;  we  want  to  celebrate  the  festival !  " 

**  Right  away,  Lukashka,  right  away !  "  said  the 
old  dame.  ''  You  see,  the  women  have  all  gone 
out  to  celebrate.  The  dumb  girl  and  I  were  just 
going  to  start." 

And,  taking  the  keys,  she  hurried  out  to  the 
dairy. 

Nazarka  put  up  his  horse,  took  off  his  gun,  and 
went  over  to  Lukashka's. 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

"To  your  health  !  "  said  Lukashka,  taking  from 
his  mother's  hand  a  brimming  cup  of  red  wine, 
and  cautiously  lifting  it  to, his  lips. 

"  There's  something  up,"  exclaimed  Nazaska. 
"  That  old  clown  said,  *  Have  you  stolen  many 
horses  .-*'     He  must  know  a  thing  or  two." 

"  The  wizard  !  "  said  Lukashka,  curtly.  "  What 
of  it  ? "  he  added,  shaking  his  head,  "  They  are 
across  the  river  by  this  time.     Be  on  the  watch." 

"  It's  all  wrong." 

*•  What's  all  wrong  ?  Take  some  red  wine  to 
him  to-morrow.  That's  the  way  to  do  ;  and  noth- 
ing will  come  of  it.  Now,  let  us  have  a  lark  ! 
Drink !  "  cried  Lukashka,  in  just  such  a  burly 
voice  as  Uncle  Yeroshka  would  have  uttered  that 
word.  "  Come,  let  us  go  out  in  the  street  and 
have  a  good  time  with  the  girls.  You  go  and  get 
some  honey,  or  I'll  send  the  dumb  girl.  We'll 
spree  it  till  morning." 

Nazarka  smiled. 

"  Shall  we  be  here  as  long  as  that }  "  he  asked. 
309 


3IO  ^^^^   COSSACKS. 

"  Only  let  us  get  at  it !  Skip  round  and  get 
some  vodka !     Hold  on,  here's  some  money  !  " 

Nazarka  went  obediently  to  Yamka's. 

Uncle  Yeroshka  and  Yergusbof,  like  great  birds 
of  prey,  scenting  out  where  any  drinking  was  go- 
ing on,  came,  one  after  the  other,  to  the  cottage. 
Both  were  drunk. 

**  Give  us  another  half-gallon,"  cried  Luka  to 
his  mother,  in  answer  to  their  greeting. 

*<-Now,  tell  us,  you  devil  you,  where  you  stole 
them,"  cried  the  old  man.  "  You're  a  hero !  I 
like  you  !  " 

**  Well,  I  don't  like  you,"  replied  Lukashka, 
with  a  laugh.  "  You  play  pimp  to  the  yunker  ! 
What  an  old  man  you  are  !  " 

"  It's  a  lie  !  indeed,  it's  a  lie  !  He,  Marka  !  " 
(The  old  man  burst  into  a  hearty  laugh.)  "  Yon 
devil  tried  to  bribe  me  !  *  Go,'  says  he,  '  try  to 
get  her  for  me.'  He  gave  me  a  gun.  No,  God 
be  with  him  !  I  would  have  done  it,  but  I  took 
pity  on  you.  Now,  tell  us,  where  have  you 
been  .? "     And  the  old  man  began  to  talk  Tatar. 

Lukashka  replied  vivaciously.  Yergushof, 
whose  knowledge  of  Tatar  was  limited,  threw  in 
Russian    words. 

"  I  tell  you,  you  have  been  stealing  horses.  I 
am  perfectly  sure  of  it,"  insisted  Yeroshka. 


THE   COSSACKS. 


311 


"  Gire'fka  and  I  went  on  a  raid,"  said  Lukashka, 
calling  Girei-Khan  by  this  affectionate  diminutive, 
which  was  a  common  usage  among  Cossacks  who 
wished  to  make  a  show  of  their  style.  "  He's 
always  boasting  that  he  knows  the  whole  steppe 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river  and  can  go  straight 
to  the  spot ;  and  so  we  rode  ;  it  was  dark  night. 
My  GireYka  lost  his  way  ;  he  began  to  go  cau- 
tiously and  there  was  no  sense  in  it.  There  was 
no  aul  anywhere  about,  and  that  was  the  end  of  it. 
Evidently  we  ought  to  have  gone  farther  to  the 
right.  We  hunted  till  almost  midnight.  Then, 
suddenly,  we  heard  dogs  bark." 

*'  Fools  !  "  exclaimed  Uncle  Yeroshka.  "  That's 
just  the  way  we  used  to  get  lost  at  night-time  in 
the  steppe.  The  devil  take  it !  Once  I  rode  up 
to  a  little  hill,  and  hid  behind  a  clump  of  bushes  ; 
this  is  the  way  it  was  !  "  He  put  his  hands  to 
his  mouth  and  howled  like  a  pack  of  wolves, 
on  one  note.  "The  dogs  instantly  answered  to 
it.  —  Now,  finish  your  story  !  Well,  what  did  you 
find } " 

"We  had  a  lively  time  of  it.  The  Nogar 
women  almost  caught  Nazarka,  pra  !  " 

"Yes,  that  they  did,"  exclaimed  Nazarka,  with 
a  feeling  of  shame. 

"  Well,  we  rode  on  ;  again  Giretka  lost  his  way, 


312  THE   COSSACKS. 

got  entirely  off  the  track  in  the  sand  hills.  He 
supposed  that  we  were  down  near  the  Terek,  but 
we  were  quite  the  other  way." 

"  You  ought  to  have  gone  by  the  stars,"  said 
Uncle  Yeroshka. 

"That's  what  I  think,"  put  in  Yergushof. 

"Yes,  that's  very  well,  but  it  was  perfectly 
cloudy.  Well,  I  was  beating  about,  beating 
about !  I  had  got  one  mare,  put  the  halter  on 
her.  Then  I  let  my  own  horse  take  his  own  gait. 
I  think  to  myself,  *  He  will  get  us  out  of  it.' 
Then,  what  do  you  think  }  What  a  whinnying, 
whinnying  —  nose  to  the  ground!  ...  I  gallop 
forward,  straight  into  a  village  and  out  again. 
And  unfortunately  it  became  quite  light ;  we  had 
just  time  to  drive  the  horses  into  the  woods  and 
hide  them  there.  Nagim  came  up  from  the  river 
and  took  them." 

Yeroshka  shook  his  head.  "  Sharp  game ! 
That's  what  I  say  !     Many  of  them  }  " 

"  Got  all  there  were,"  said  Lukashka,  slapping 
his  pocket. 

At  this  moment,  the  old  mother  came  into  the 
cottage.  Lukashka  ceased  speaking.  "  Drink  ! " 
he  cried. 

"That's  just  the  way  Girchik  and  I  did  once," 
began  Uncle  Yeroshka. 


THE   COSSACKS. 


313 


"  Now,  we  can't  stop  for  that,"  said  Lukashka. 
"  I  am  going,"  and,  having  finished  the  wine  in 
the  bowl,  and  tightening  his  belt,  he  went  out 
into  the  street.  ■ 


CHAPTER   XXXVIir. 

It  was  already  dark  when  Lukashka  went  into 
the  street.  The  autumn  night  was  cool  and  with- 
out wind.  The  golden  orb  of  the  full  moon  swam 
out  from  behind  the  dark  poplars  which  stood 
on  one  side  of  the  square.  The  srnoke  arose 
from  the  dairy  chimneys,  and,  melting  with  the 
evening  vapors,  hovered  above  the  village.  The 
odor  of  burning  kizyak  or  dried  dung,  of  new 
wine,  and  of  the  dampness  mingled  in  the  atmos- 
phere. Talking,  laughing,  singing,  and  the  crack- 
ing of  seeds  made  just  as  much  of  a  Babel  as 
during  the  day,  but  the  sounds  were  more  dis- 
tinct. White  kerchiefs  and  tall  lambskin  caps 
could  be  seen  in  crowds  near  the  fences  and 
houses. 

On  the  square,  in  front  of  the  opened  and 
lighted  shops,  was  gathered  a  motley  throng  of 
Cossack  lads  and  maidens  ;  loud  songs,  laughter, 
and  chatter  were  heard.  Taking  hold  of  hands, 
the  girls  formed  a  circle,  gracefully  tripping 
around  over  the  dusty  square.  A  lean  maiden,  one 
of  the  ugliest  of  their  number,  sang  :  — 

3H 


THE   COSSACKS.  315 

Out  of  the  forest,  the  little  dark  forest 

(AidaliulU), 
Out  of  the  garden,  the  little  green  garden^ 
Hither  came,  forth  came  iioo  young  braves^ 
Two  yoting  bravos,  both  unmarried. 
Forth  came,  came  they,  stopped  and  quarrelled^  — 
Stopped  and  quarrelled. 
By  them  passed  a  handsome  maiden^ 
Passed  them  and  addressed  them  :  — 
"  Come,  no7u,  one  of  you  shall  have  me  !  ** 
Then  she  chose  the  fair  faced  fellow,  — 
Fairf ace d  fellow  with  the  yellow  ringlets. 
He  took  her,  took  her  by  her  right  hand. 
He  led  her,  led  her  round  the  circle. 
Boasted  of  her  to  his  comrades  :  — 
"Just  behold  my  maiden,  brothers  I " 


The  old  women  stood  around,  listening  to  the 
song,  and  watching  the  dance.  The  little  boys 
and  girls  ran  around  in  the  darkness,  chasing 
each  other.  The  Cossacks  stood  about,  pinching 
the  maidens  as  they  tripped  by,  and  occasionally 
breaking  into  the  circle  to  take  a  part  in  the 
dance.  On  the  dark  side  of  the  door  stood  Bye- 
letsky  and  Olyenin,  dressed  in  full  jigit  costume, 
and  talking  French  together,  not  aloud,  but  still 
distinctly,  feeling  that  they  were  attracting  atten- 
tion. Hand  in  hand  ran  the  plump  Ustenka,  in  a 
red  beshmet,  and  the  majestic  Maryana,  in  hand- 
some new  attire. 

Olyenin  and  Byeletsky  conferred  together  how 
they  might  entice  the  two  girls  away   from   the 


3i6  THE   COSSACKS. 

khorovod.  Byeletsky  supposed  that  Olyenin 
wanted  it  merely  for  amusement's  sake  ;  his  real 
desire,  however,  was  to  learn  his  fate  from  her 
lips.  His  overmastering  desire  was  to  see  her 
as  soon  as  possible  alone,  to  tell  her  all,  and  to 
ask  her  if  she  could  and  would  be  his  wife.  Al- 
though this  question  had  long  before  been  decided 
by  him  in  the  negative,  still  he  hoped  that  he 
should  have  strength  enough  to  pour  out  his 
heart  before  her,  and  that  she  would  understand 
him. 

"Why  didn't  you  tell  me  sooner.?"  said  Bye- 
letsky. "  I  could  have  arranged  it  all  through 
Ustenka.     You  are  so  strange  !  " 

"  What's  to  be  done  1  Sometime,  very  soon,  I 
will  tell  you  all.  The  only  thing  now  is,  get  her 
to  come  to  Ustenka's  —  for  God's  sake  !" 

"  All  right.  That  is  easy.  ...  So,  Maryana, 
you  choose  the  fair-faced  fellow,  hey }  And  not 
Lukashka } "  exclaimed  Byeletsky,  for  polite- 
ness' sake  addressing  Maryana  first,  and  then, 
without  waiting  for  her  answer,  he  joined  Us- 
tenka, and  began  to  urge  her  to  bring  Maryana 
home  with  her.  He  had  no  time  to  finish  speak- 
ing when  the  homely  girl  struck  up  another  song, 
and  the  maidens  set  the  circle  in  motion  again, 
and  began  to  sing.     This  was  their  song  :  — 


THE   COSSACKS. 

Out  behind  the  garden^  ga^'den^ 
Did  the  brave  youth  wendj 
Up  street  to  the  end. 
Once,  the  first  time  that  he  came^ 
His  right  hand  he  waned ; 
Then  the  second  time  he  came^ 
Waved  his  bonnet  of  beaver  ; 
But  the  third  time  that  he  came 
The  brave  young  man  did  standi 
Stood,  and  then  crossed  over. 
"  How  I  longed  to  come  to  thee  ! 
List !  while  I  upbraid! 
Why,  oh  why,  my  darling  maidy 
Dost  refuse  to  walk  with  me 
In  the  garden  ?     Tell  me,  darling  ! 
Dost  thou  scorn  to  talk  with  me  ? 
By  and  by,  my  darling. 
Thou  wilt  curb  thy  pride  : 
I  shall  send  the  wooers  to  thee^ 
I  shall  send  to  woo  thee  ; 
Thou  shall  be  my  bride  ! 
J  will  make  thy  tears  to  flow  !  " 

Though  my  answer  I  knew  well, 
Still  I  dared  not  then  to  tell. 
Dared  not  tell  kitn  "  Yes  "  or  ''No."* 

To  the  garden  then  I  go  ; 
In  the  green  garden  meet  my  friend, 
Low  before  him  bend. 

"  Here,  oh,  maiden  !  here  I  stand. 
Take  this  korhieffrom  my  hand  I 
Prithee,  maiden,  deign  to  take, 
Take  it  in  thy  hand  so  white. 
Bear  it  in  thy  hand  so  white. 
Take  and  wear  it  for  my  sake  I 


317 


3i8  THE   COSSACKS. 

Love  me,  maiden,  love  me  7vell ! 
What  to  do  I  cannot  tell ;  — 
To  the  maid  whom.  I  call  mine 
Do  I  give  this  shazvl  so  fine. 
For  a  large  shazvl  such  as  this  is 
I  shall  take  at  least  five  kisses  /  "  * 

Lukashka  and  Nazarka,  breaking  into  the  cir- 
cle, began  to  whirl  round  with  the  maidens. 
Lukashka,  joining  in  with  a  harsh,  unmelodious 
voice,  and  waving  his  arms,  dashed  into  the  very 
centre  of  the  ring.  "  Come  on,  one  of  you  !  take 
hold ! "  he  cried.  The  girls  gave  Maryana  a 
push,  but  she  would  not  go.  Over  and  above  the 
singing  were  heard  the  sound  of  merry  laughter, 
slaps,  kisses,  and  whisperings. 

As  Lukashka  passed  by  Olyenin,  he  nodded  to 
him  affectionately. 

"  Mitri  Andreyitch  !  and  have  you  come  too  to 
look  on  .?  "  he  asked. 

"  Certainly  I  have,"  replied  Olyenin,  with 
decided   curtness. 

Byeletsky  bent  over  to  Ustenka's  ear  and  said 

.   ^  In  this  example  of  the  popular  khorovod  beginning, — 

ICak  za  sadom,  za  sadom. 

Khodil,  gulyal  molodets 

Vdol  tilitsui  f  konets,  — 
there  is  a  certain  approximation  to  trochaic  metre  and  the  rough 
attempt   at  rhyme    peculiar    to    improvisation.       The    irregular 
verse,    with    its    sharp    staccato     and    frequent    repetitions,    is 
entirely  characteristic  of  all  Slavonic  folk  poetry.  —  N.  H.  D. 


THE   COSSACKS.  3  to 

something  to  her.  She  had  no  time  to  reply  ere 
the  circle  whirled  her  away  ;  but  when  it  brought 
her  back  again  she  said  :  — 

"All  right,  we'll  come." 

"  And  Maryana,  too  !  " 

Olyenin  bent  over  to  Maryana.  "  Will  you 
come  }  Please  do,  if  only  for  a  moment.  I  must 
speak  with  you." 

"If  the  girls  come,  I  will." 

"Will  you  tell  me  what  I  asked  you  about }  "  he 
inquired,  a  second  time  bending  over  to  her. 
"  You  are  in  good  humor  to-day." 

She  was  away  from  him  by  this  time,  but  he 
followed  after  her.     "  Will  you  tell  me  }  " 

"Tell  you  what  V 

"  What  I  asked  you  night  before  last,"  said  Ol- 
yenin, whispering  in  her  ear.  "  Will  you  marry 
me  >  " 

Maryana  hesitated  for  a  moment. 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  she  said,  "  I  will  tell  you  to- 
night !  " 

And  in  the  darkness  her  eyes  gave  the  young 
man  a  gay  and  affectionate  look. 

He  still  followed  after  her.  It  was  a  pleasure 
to  him  to  get  as  near  as  possible  to  her. 

But  Lukashka,  who  had  been  drinking  inces- 
santly, seized  her  by  main  force  and  dragged  her 


320  THE   COSSACKS. 

by  the  hand  from  the  ring  into  the  centre.  Olye- 
nin  had  barely  time  to  whisper,  "  Come  to  Usten- 
ka's,  do,"  and  joined  his  companion.  The  song 
came  to  an  end.  Lukashka  wiped  his  lips ;  Mar- 
yanka  did  the  same,  and  they  kissed  each  other. 
"No,  five  times,"  said  he.  Talking,  jesting,  scuf- 
fling were  mingled  in  harmonious  movement  and 
harmonious  sounds.  Lukashka,  who  had  now  be- 
gun to  grow  rather  mellow  with  drink,  distributed 
among  the  girls  confectionery  in  handfuls.  "  It's 
my  treat  for  all  of  you,"  he  cried,  with  a  proud, 
comically  half-pathetic  self-consciousness. 

"  But  let  those  that  gad  about  with  the  soldiers 
get  out  of  the  circle,"  he  suddenly  added,  giving 
Olyenin  a  wrathful  look. 

The  maidens  grabbed  their  candy  from  him, 
and,  laughing,  tried  to  snatch  it  from  each 
other.  Byeletsky  and  Olyenin  retired  to  one  side. 
Lukashka,  as  though  ashamed  of  his  generosity, 
took  off  his  papakh,  and,  wiping  his  forehead 
with  his  sleeve,  joined  Maryanka  and  Ustenka. 

^^  Dost  thou  scorn  to  talk  with  me?"  he  said, 
quoting  a  line  of  the  song  which  they  had  just 
been  singing,  and  applying  it  to  Maryanka.  "  By 
and  by,  my  darliitg,  thou  wilt  cnrb  thy  pride,''  he 
repeated,  very  significantly.  '*  Thou  shall  be  my 
bride ;  I  will  make  thy  tears  to  Jlow,''  he  went 


THE   COSSACKS. 


321 


on,  quoting,  and  hugged  the  two  girls  both 
at  once. 

Ustenka  tore  herself  away,  and,  drawing  back 
her  arm,  gave  him  such  a  blow  in  the  back  that 
she  bruised  her  own  hand. 

*'  Say,  are  you  going  to  have  another  dance  ? " 
he  asked. 

"  Just  as  the  girls  wish,"  replied  Ustenka. 
"  But  I  am  going  home,  and  Maryanka  wanted  to 
come  too." 

The  Cossack,  still  hugging  Maryana,  took  her 
out  of  the  crowd,  behind  the  dark  corner  of  the 
house. 

"  Don't  go,  Mashenka,"  said  he.  "  Let  us  have 
one  last  good  time.  Go  home  and  I  will  join 
you." 

•*  What  do  I  want  to  go  home  for  t  It's  a  festi- 
val, and  I  mean  to  make  the  best  of  it.  I  am  go- 
ing to  Ustenka' s,"  said  Maryana. 

*'  Well,  I'll  marry  you,  all  the  same." 

"Very  good!"  said  Maryana.  "We'll  see 
about   that." 

**  Do  you  insist  on  going } "  demanded  Lu- 
kashka,  and,  pressing  her  to  him,  kissed  her 
cheek. 

**  Now,  let  go  of  me !  What  are  you  bother- 
injr  me  for  }  " 


322 


THE   COSSACKS. 


And  Maryana  tore  herself  out  of  his  arms  and 
ran  away. 

"Ah,  you  girl !  It's  too  bad  !  "  cried  Lukashka, 
in  a  tone  of  reproach,  pausing  and  shaking  his 
head.  "  Thou  wilt  weep  because  of  mej^  and,  turn- 
ing from  her,  he  cried  to  the  other  girls,  "  Sing 
something,  won't  you  }  " 

Maryana  seemed  somewhat  frightened  and  at 
the  same  time  annoyed  by  what  he  said. 

She  stopped. 

"  What's  too  bad  .?  '* 

"  What  you're  doing." 

"  But  what  1  " 

"  I  mean  this  :  going  around  with  that  soldier 
lodger  of  yours  and  not  caring  anything  for  me." 

"  I'll  do  just  as  I  please  about  loving  you.  You 
are  not  my  father,  nor  my  mother.  What  do  you 
want }     I'll  love  the  one  I  want  to  love." 

"All  right!"  said  Lukashka.  "Just  re- 
member." 

He  went  to  the  shop.  "  Girls,"  he  cried,  "  why 
are  you  standing  ?  Give  us  another  khorovod. 
Nazarka !  hurry  up  and  get  some  red  wine." 

"  Well,  are  they  coming  .? "  asked  Olyenin  of 
Byeletsky. 

"  They  will  come  in  a  minute,"  replied  Byelet- 
sky.    "  Come  on  ;  we  must  get  ready  for  a  •ball." 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

It  was  late  in  the  evening  when  Olyenin 
left  Byeletsky's  cottage,  and  followed  the  two 
girls.  Maryana's  white  kerchief  gleamed  in  the 
shady  street.  The  golden  moon  was  sinking 
toward  the  steppes.  A  silvery  mist  hovered  over 
the  village.  All  was  quiet,  no  lights  were  seen  in 
the  windows  ;  the  only  sound  was  the  footsteps 
of  the  hurrying  girls. 

Olyenin's  heart  beat  violently.  The  misty  air 
came  with  cooling  freshness  to  his  heated  face. 
He  glanced  at  the  sky,  he  glanced  at  the  cottage 
from  which  he  had  come.  The  candle  had  just 
been  blown  out,  and  once  more  he  allowed  his 
attention  to  be  attracted  by  the  young  women 
hurrying  along  like  shadows.  The  white  kerchief 
was  hidden  in  the  mist.  It  was  terrible  for  him 
to  be  left  in  the  solitude  ;  he  was  so  happy.  He 
sprang  down  from  the  steps  and  hastened  after 
the  girls. 

'•  Oh,  is  it  you  ?  Some  one  will  see  you  !  " 
cried  Ustenka. 

323 


324  '^^^   COSSACKS. 

"  No  matter." 

Olyenin  went  to  Maryana  and  threw  his  arms 
around  her.     She  made  no  resistance. 

"  Don't  kiss  each  other,"  said  Ustenka  ;  ''  marry 
first,  then  you  can  kiss,  but  now  keep  cool." 

"  Good-bye,  Maryana.  To-morrow  I  am  going 
to  your  father  ;  I  will  tell  him.  Don't  you  breathe 
a  word." 

"  Why  should  I  }  "  replied  Maryana. 

The  two  girls  hurried  away. 

Olyenin  walked  on  alone,  and  passed  in  review 
all  that  had  taken  place.  He  had  spent  the  whole 
evening  alone  with  her  in  one  room,  near  the 
oven.  Not  once  had  Ustenka  left  the  khata 
where  Byeletsky  and  she  with  the  other  girls  had 
been  having  boisterous  fun.  Olyenin  and  Mar- 
yana had  been  talking  in  whispers. 

"  Will  you  be  mine  .^  "  "he  asked  her. 

**  You  are  mistaken,  you  would  not  have  me," 
she  replied,  in  a  bantering  tone,  but  calmly. 

"  But  do  you  love  me  }  Tell  me,  for  Heaven's 
sake  !  " 

"  Why  shouldn't  I  love  you }  You  are  not 
crooked  !  "  she  rejoined,  with  a  smile,  and  squeez- 
ing his  hand  between  her  rough  hands.  —  "  What 
whi-i-te,  whi-i-te  hands  you  have,  just  as  soft  as 
cheese,"  she  said. 


THE   COSSACKS.  335 

"  I  am  not  joking.  Tell  me,  will  you  be 
mine  ?  " 

"  Why  not,  if  my  father  will  let  me  ? " 

"  Listen  !  I  shall  go  beside  myself  if  you  are 
not  telling  me  the  truth.  To-morrow  I  shall  tell 
your  father  and  mother,  and  go  through  all  the 
formalities." 

Maryana  suddenly  laughed  heartily. 

"  What  is  it  .? " 

"Oh,  it's  so  funny!" 

"  Truly,  I  will  buy  a  garden,  a  house  ;  I  will 
join  the  Cossacks  .  .  ." 

"  Look  here,  then,  don't  you  go  courting  other 
women  !     I  should  be  angry  if  you  did." 

Olyenin  now  took  a  keen  delight  in  recalling 
all  this  conversation.  At  the  thought  of  it,  some- 
times his  heart  was  filled  with  pain,  and  then 
again  delight  took  possession  of  him.  The  pain 
arose  from  the  fact  that  she  was  so  calm  all  the 
time  that  she  was  talking  with  him,  so  calm  and 
merry.  It  seemed  as  though  she  were  not  in 
the  least  affected  by  this  new  state  of  affairs. 
She  scarcely  believed  his  words,  and  she  had  no 
thought  about  the  future.  It  seemed  to  him  that 
she  had  only  a  passing  affection  for  him,  and  that 
he  was  not  associated  with  her  thoughts  of  the 
future.     But  the  delifjht  arose  from  the  fact  that 


326  THE   COSSACKS. 

all  of  her  words  seemed  to  him  true,  and  she  had 
agreed  to  be  his. 

"  Yes,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  only  when  she  is 
wholly  mine  shall  we  understand  each  other. 
For  such  love  no  words  are  needed,  but  life  is 
needed,  and  the  whole  of  life.  To-morrow  all  will 
be  made  clear.  I  cannot  live  longer  this  way ; 
to-morrow  I  shall  tell  everything  to  her  father,  to 
Byeletsky,  to  the  whole  village  .  .  ." 

Lukashka,  after  two  sleepless  nights,  had  cele- 
brated the  festival  so  gloriously  that,  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life,  he  was  really  drunk,  and  he  slept 
it  off  at  Yamka's. 


CHAPTER   XL. 

On  the  next  day  Olyenin  woke  earlier  than 
usual,  and  his  first  waking  thought  was  about 
what  the  future  had  in  store  for  him ;  he  recalled 
with  delight  her  kiss,  the  pressure  of  her  rough 
hands,  and  her  words :  "  What  white  hands  you 
have  !  " 

He  sprang  up  with  the  intention  of  going 
immediately  to  the  ensign  and  Dame  Ulitka,  and 
proposing  marriage  to  Maryana. 

It  was  before  sunrise,  and  it  struck  him  that 
there  was  unusual  commotion  in  the  street,  — 
running,  riding,  and  shouting.  He  threw  on  his 
cherkeska  and  went  out  to  the  porch. 

The  ensign's  family  were  not  yet  up. 

Five  mounted  Cossacks  were  dashing  up  and 
down  the  street  and  talking  in  excited  tones. 

At  the  head  of  them  rode  Lukashka  on  his  big 
Kabarda.  The  Cossacks  were  all  talking  and 
shouting  at  the  top  of  their  voices.  It  was  impos- 
sible to  make  out  what  the  trouble  was. 

"  Strike  for  the  upper  station,"  cried  one. 
327 


328  THE   COSSACKS. 

"  Saddle  your  horses  and  join  us  lively  !  "  said  a 
second. 

"■  It's  the  nearest  way  from  this  gate." 

"  Come  this  way,"  cried  Lukashka.  "  We 
must  start  from  the  middle  gate." 

**And  then  it's  nearer  from  here,"  said  another 
Cossack,  all  covered  with  dust  and  riding  a  sweaty 
horse. 

Lukashka's  face  was  flushed  and  bloated  from  his 
evening's  intoxication  ;  his  lambskin  papakh  was 
on  the  back  of  his  head.  He  shouted  imperative 
orders,  as  though  he  were  the  commander. 

"  What  is  it  .-*  Where  are  you  going  }  "  asked 
Olyenin,  finding  some  difficulty  in  attracting  the 
attention  of  the  Cossacks. 

"  We  are  going  to  take  some  abreks  ;  they  are 
out  there  in  the  reeds.  We  are  going  right  off, 
but  there  aren't  many  of  us." 

And  the  Cossacks,  still  shouting  and  gathering 
new  forces,  rode  up  the  street. 

It  occurred  to  Olyenin  that  it  would  not  look 
well  for  him  to  stay  behind.  However,  he  made 
up  his  mind  to  return  early.  He  finished  dress- 
ing, loaded  his  gun  with  ball,  mounted  his  horse, 
which  Vanyusha  had  managed  to  saddle,  and  re_ 
joined  the  Cossacks  just  as  they  were  riding  out 
of  the  village.     The   Cossacks,  though  in  such  a 


THE   COSSACKS. 


329 


hurry,  had  dismounted  and  were  standing  in  a 
circle,  drinking  red  wine,  which  they  poured  out 
from  a  cask  they  had  brought,  into  the  wooden 
chapura,  or  bowk  They  handed  it  around  and 
prayed  iox  success  in  their  expedition. 

Among  them  was  a  dandified  young  ensign, 
who  happened  to  be  in  the  village,  and  assumed 
command  of  the  half-score  of  Cossacks  who  were 
gathered  together.  They  were  all  privates,  and, 
though  the  ensign  put  on  all  the  airs  of  a  leader, 
they  looked  to  Lukashka  for  directions.  They 
paid  absolutely  no  attention  to  Olyenin.  And, 
when  all  had  mounted  again  and  started  on  their 
way,  Olyenin  joined  the  young  ensign  and  began 
to  ask  what  the  trouble  was  ;  the  would-be  officer, 
with  extraordinary  obsequiousness,  tried  to  make 
him  feel  how  much  he  appreciated  the  honor  of 
being  with  a  man  of  such  elevated  rank.  It  was 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  Olyenin  could  get 
from  him  any  information  in  regard  to  the  work 
before  them. 

It  seemed  that  the  scouts  sent  out  to  look  for 
abreks  had  discovered  a  few  of  the  mountaineers 
in  the  downs  about  eight  versts  from  the  village. 
The  abreks  were  in  ambush  in  a  ditch  and  had 
fired  off  their  guns  and  threatened  that  they 
would  never  surrender  alive. 


330  "^^^^   COSSACKS. 

The  sergeant,  who  with  two  men  constituted 
the  scouting  party,  had  remained  to  watch  them 
and  had  sent  one  of  the  Cossacks  to  the  village 
for  reenforcements. 

The  sun  was  just  beginning  to  rise.  When 
they  had  gone  tliree  versts  from  the  village,  the 
steppe  was  spread  out  in  every  direction,  and  noth- 
ing was  to  be  seen  except  the  monotonous,  melan- 
choly waste  of  sand,  marked  with  the  tracks  of 
cattle  and  covered  with  withered  grass  and  low 
rushes  in  the  hollows,  with  occasional  paths, 
scarcely  traceable,  and  settlements  of  Nogar 
standing  out  against  the  horizon  far,  far  away. 
There  was  a  striking  absence  of  shade  every- 
where ;  the  whole  region  was  bare  and  dry. 

The  sun  always  rises  and  sets  on  the  steppe  in 
a  ruddy  glow.  When  the  wind  blows,  it  carries 
with  it  whole  mountains  of  sand.  When  it  is 
calm,  as  it  happened  to  be  on  this  morning,  then 
the  stillness,  undisturbed  by  a  movement  or  a 
sound,  is  most  striking.  This  morning  it  was 
calm  and  gloomy  over  the  steppe,  even  after  the 
sun  had  risen  ;  there  was  a  peculiar  sense  of 
emptiness  and  lassitude. 

The  air  was  not  stirred  by  a  breath  ;  the  only 
sound  was  the  trampling  and  snorting  of  the 
horses,  and  even  these  sounds  had  no  resonance 


THE   COSSACKS. 


331 


and  quickly  died  away.  The  Cossacks  rode  most 
of  the  time  in  silence.  The  Cossack  always 
carries  his  weapons  in  such  a  way  that  there  is  no 
rattlin^^  or  clanking.  A  rattling  weapon  is  the 
greatest  disgrace  for  a  Cossack.  Two  Cossacks 
from  the  village  came  galloping  up,  and  two  or 
three  words  were  exchanged.  Lukashka's  horse 
either  stumbled  or  got  entangled  in  the  grass,  and 
started  to  dash  on  ahead. 

That  is  considered  a  bad  omen  among  the 
Cossacks. 

They  looked  around  and  hurried  on,  trying  not 
to  call  attention  to  this  circumstance,  which  had 
such  a  peculiar  significance  at  such  a  time.  Lu- 
kashka  jerked  his  reins,  frowned  haughtily,  set 
his  teeth  together,  and  cracked  his  whip  over 
his  head.  His  beautiful  Kabarda  suddenly 
danced  on  his  four  legs,  not  knowing  on  which 
to  step,  and  as  though  wishing  he  had  wings  to 
fly  up  into  the  air ;  but  Lukashka  hit  him  once 
with  the  whip  under  his  fat  belly,  hit  him  a  sec- 
ond time,  and  then  a  third,  and  the  Kabarda, 
showing  his  teeth  and  whisking  his  tail  and 
snorting,  -drew  back  on  his  haunches  and  then 
sprang  forward  in  advance  of  the  rest  of  the 
band. 

**  Ekh !    fine  horse  !  "    said  the   young   ensign, 


332 


THE    COSSACKS. 


employing  the  Russian  word  that  signified  in 
itself  an   especially  good   steed. 

''  A  lion  of  a  charger,"  replied  another  of  the 
older  Cossacks. 

The  Cossacks  rode  in  silence,  sometimes  at  a 
walk,  sometimes  trotting,  and  this  was  the  only 
thing  that,  for  a  moment,  disturbed  the  silence 
and  solemnity  of  their  motions. 

Over  the  whole  extent  of  the  steppe  for  a  dis- 
tance of  eight  versts  the  only  living  thing  that 
they  met  was  a  Noga'f  kibitka,  or  nomad  tent, 
which,  set  on  a  two-wheeled  arba,  was  slowly 
crossing  the  steppe  a  verst  away.  It  was  a  No- 
gayets,  moving  with  his  family  from  one  settle- 
ment to  another.  They  also  met,  in  one  hollow, 
two  ragged  Nogai'  women  with  high  cheek-bones 
who,  carrying  wicker  baskets  on  their  backs,  were 
collecting  the  manure  of  the  steppe  cattle  for 
kizyak.  The  young  ensign,  who  spoke  their 
language  brokenly,  tried  to  gather  some  infor- 
mation from  these  women  ;  but  they  could  not 
understand  him,  and  exchanged  glances,  evidently 
fearing  some  harm.' 

Lukashka  rode  up,  reined  in  his  horse,  gave 
them  their  usual  greeting  in  a  cheerful  voice ;  and 
the  Nogai'  women  made  no  secret  of  their  pleasure, 
and  talked  freely  with  him  as  to  their  brother. 


THE   COSSACKS.  333 

"  Ai,  a'i  kop  abrck  !  "  said  they,  mournfully,  and 
pointed  with  their  hands  in  the  direction  where 
the  Cossacks  had  been  riding.  Olyenin  knew 
enough  to  understand  that  they  said,  "  Many 
abreks." 

Never  having  witnessed  such  an  action,  though 
he  had  an  idea  of  it  gotten  from  Uncle  Yeroshka's 
yarns,  he  was  anxious  to  keep  with  the  Cossacks 
and  see  the  whole  thing.  He  admired  the  Cos- 
sacks, he  had  his  eyes  wide  open,  his  ears  were 
alert,  and  he  made  his  observations.  Though  he 
had  taken  his  sabre  with  him  and  his  loaded  gun, 
yet,  as  he  noticed  that  the  Cossacks  held  aloof 
from  him,  he  resolved  to  take  no  part  in  the 
action,  the  more  willingly  because,  in  his  opin- 
ion, he  had  already  sufficiently  proved  his  valor 
in  the  expedition  on  the  frontier,  and  principally 
because  now  he  was  very  happy. 

Suddenly,  in  the  distance,  a  shot  was  heard. 

The  young  ensign  grew  excited  and  began  to 
give  his  orders  :  how  the  Cossacks  should  divide 
their  forces  and  on  which  side  they  should  ride 
up. 

But  the  men  had  evidently  no  intention  of 
obeying  those  directions,  and  listened  only  to 
what  Lukashka  said,  and  looked  only  to  him. 
Luka's   face    and    whole    fij^rure    were    calm    and 


334  ^'^^^   COSSACKS. 

triumphant.  He  led  the  scouting  party  on  his 
Kabarda,  with  which  the  other  horses  found  it 
useless  to  keep  up,  and  with  blinking  eyes  he 
gazed  ahead. 

"  There  goes  a  horseman,"  said  he,  reining 
in  his  horse,  and  falling  back  into  line  with  the 
others. 

Olyenin  strained  his  eyes,  but  he  could  not  see 
anything.  The  Cossacks  quickly  made  out  two 
horsemen,  and  with  undeviating  pace  they  rode 
straight  down   upon   them. 

"  Are  they  abreks  .?  "  asked  Olyenin. 

The  Cossacks  made  no  answer  to  his  question, 
which  was  ridiculous  in  their  opinion.  Abreks 
would  be  fools  to  come  over  on  this  side  with 
horses. 

**  That's  batyaka  Rodka  beckoning,  I  declare," 
said  Lukashka,  pointing  to  the  two  horsemen, 
who  were  now  in  plain  sight.  ''  See,  he  is 
coming   toward   us." 

In  fact,  in  a  few  moments,  it  was  evident  that 
the  horsemen  were  Cossack  scouts,  and  the  ser- 
geant rode  up  to  Luka. 

"  Much  farther  1  "  was  Lukashka's  monosyllabic 
question. 

At  this  moment,  not  thirty  paces  distant,  was 
heard    a    sharp    report.       The    sergeant    smiled 


THE   COSSACKS. 


335 


slightly.  **  Our  Gurka  is  peppering  them,"  said 
he,  nodding  his  head  in  the  direction  of  the   shot. 

Going  a  few  steps  farther,  they  caught  sight  of 
Gurka  squatting  behind  a  sand  hill  and  loading 
his  gun.  Gurka,  from  sheer  tedium,  was  firing  at 
the  abreks,  who  were  hiding  behind  another  sand 
hill. 

A  bullet  from  that  direction  whistled  over 
them.  The  ensign  grew  pale  and  demoralized. 
Lukashka  dismounted,  gave  the  reins  to  a  Cos- 
sack, and  went  to  Gurka.  Olyenin  followed  his 
example,  and,  stooping  down,  joined  him.  They 
had  hardly  got  behind  the  sand  hill  with  Gurka 
when  a  couple  of  bullets  whispered  over  their 
heads.  Lukashka  glanced  with  a  smile  at  Olye- 
nin and  bent  low. 

"  They  will  shoot  you  yet,  Andreyitch,"  said  he. 
*'  You'd  better  go  away !  This  is  no  place  for 
you."      ' 

But  still  Olyenin  was  anxious  to  have  a  look  at 
the  abreks. 

Behind  a  sand  hill,  two  hundred  paces  away,  he 
saw  a  cap  and  weapons.  Suddenly  a  puff  of 
smoke  arose  from  it,  and  a  bullet  whistled  by. 

The  abreks  were  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  in  a 
fen.  Olyenin  was  surprised  at  the  place  that  they 
had   selected.     It    was   like   all   the    rest    of   the 


336  THE   COSSACKS. 

steppe,  but  the  fact  that  the  abreks  were  en- 
sconsed  there  made  it  different  from  all  the  rest 
and  gave  it  a  peculiar  distinction.  It  even  seemed 
to  him  that  it  was  precisely  such  a  spot  as  ought 
to  contain  an  ambush  of  abreks. 

Lukashka  returned  to  his  horse,  and  Olyenin 
followed  him. 

"  We  must  get  an  arba  loaded  with  hay,"  said 
Luka,  "  else  we  shall  be  killed.  Yonder,  behind 
that  hillock,  stands  one  already  loaded  by  the 
Nogai." 

The  ensign  listened  to  what  he  said,  and  the 
sergeant  agreed  with  him.  The  hay  cart  was 
brought,  and  the  Cossacks,  taking  shelter  behind 
it,  began  to  push  it  in  front  of  them. 

Olyenin  rode  off  to  a  hillock,  from  the  top  of 
which  he  had  a  view  of  the  whole  scene.  The 
hay  cart  moved  forward.  The  Cossacks,  crouch- 
ing behind  it,  pushed  it  along  toward  the  Che- 
chens, nine  of  whom  sat  in  a  row,  knee  to  knee, 
and  waited  the  decisive  moment  for  firing. 

There  was  perfect  silence.  Suddenly  from  the 
Chechen  side  rang  out  the  strange  sounds  of  a 
melancholy  song,  something  like  Uncle  Ye- 
roshka's  A'i-dai-dalala'i.  The  mountaineers  knew 
that  there  was  no  escape  for  them,  and,  in  order 
to   drive    away  all  thoughts    of  escape,  they  had 


THE  COSSACKS.  337 

fastened  themselves  together  by  a  strap  knee  to 
knee,  held  their  guns  in  readiness,  and  were  sing- 
ing their  death-song. 

The  Cossacks,  pushing  the  "hay  cart,  came 
nearer  and  nearer,  and  Olyenin  was  momentarily 
expecting  the  crash  of  musketry  ;  but  the  silence 
was  broken  only  by  the  abreks'  melancholy  song. 
Suddenly  the  song  was  cut  short ;  a  quick,  sharp 
report  rang  out ;  a  bullet  buried  itself  in  the  pole 
of  the  hay  cart ;  there  was  an  uproar  of  Chechen 
oaths  and  shrieks.  Shot  followed  shot,  and  bullet 
after  bullet  was  poured  into  the  hay.  The  Cos- 
sacks had  not  yet  returned  the  fire  and  were  only 
five  paces  away  from  the  mountaineers. 

Another  instant  passed,  and  the  Cossacks,  with 
a  yell,  leaped  out  from  both  sides  of  the  cart. 
Lukashka  was  at  the  head.  Olyenin  heard  a  con- 
fused sound  of  gunshots,  yells,  and  groans.  He 
saw  smoke  and  blood,  as  it  seemed  to  him.  Leav- 
ing his  horse,  and  quite  beside  himself,  he  ran 
toward  the  Cossacks.  Horror  seized  his  eyes. 
He  could  not  make  it  all  out,  but  it  was  evident 
to  him  that  all  was  over.  Lukashka,  pale  as  a 
sheet,  was  holding  a  wounded  Chechen's  arms  and 
was  crying,  ''  Don't  kill  him,  don't  kill  him  !  I 
will  take  him  alive." 

It  was  the   same   red-headed  Chechenets,   the 


338  THE   COSSACKS. 

brother  of  the  abrek  whom  Lukashka  had  killed, 
and  who  had  come  down  for  his  body. 

Lukashka  was  twisting  his  arms. 

Suddenly  the  Chechenets  tore  himself  away 
and  dischc  ged  his  pistol.  Lukashka  fell.  Blood 
spurted  out  on  his  side.  He  leaped  up,  but  fell  a 
second  time,  cursing  in  Russian  and  Tatar.  More 
and  more  blood  appeared  on  him  and  under  him. 
The  Cossacks  hurried  to  his  aid  and  began  to  take 
off  his  girdle.  One  of  them,  Nazarka,  before  giv- 
ing him  his  attention,  found  some  difficulty  in 
sheathing  his  sabre.  Its  edge  was  dripping  with 
blood. 

The  mountaineers,  red-headed,  with  close- 
cropped  moustaches,  lay  about,  killed  and  cut  in 
pieces.  Only  one  of  them,  the  very  one  who  had 
shot  Lukashka,  though  badly  wounded,  was  alive. 
This  one,  like  a  disabled  hawk,  all  blood  (the 
blood  was  trickling  down  from  under  his  right 
eye),  gnashing  his  teeth,  pale  and  desperate,  glar- 
ing around  him  with  great,  angry  eyes,  squatted 
on  his  heels  and  held  his  sabre,  ready  still  to  de- 
fend himself  to  the  last.  The  ensign  went  up  to 
him,  and,  pretending  to  pass  by  him,  with  a  quick 
motion  fired  '  pistol  into  his  ear.  The  Cheche- 
nets tried  i  ^  ing  forward,  but  it  was  too  late 
and  he  fell. 


THE   COSSACKS.  339 

The  Cossacks,  all  out  of  breath,  dragged  out 
the  dead  bodies  and  rifled  them.  Each  one  of 
these  red-headed  mountaineers  was  a  man,  and 
each  had  his  own  individual  expression.  They 
carried  Lukashka  to  the  arba.  He  kept  cursing 
in  Russian  and  Tatar. 

"  You  lie  !  I  will  choke  you  !  You  sha'n't  get 
out  of  my  hands !  Aujia  seiii  !  "  he  cried,  still 
struggling.  But  it  was  not  long  ere  he  was 
compelled  to  silence  by  his  weakness. 

Olyenin  galloped  home.  That  evening  he  was 
told  that  Lukashka  was  dying,  but  that  a  Tatar 
from  across  the  river  had  agreed  to  save  him  by 
means  of  herbs. 

The  bodies  were  carried  to  the  town  house. 
The  women  and  children  were  hurrying  there  in 
crowds,  to  have  a  look  at  them. 

Olyenin  returned  at  dusk,  and  it  was  long 
before  he  could  get  a  clear  impression  of  what  he 
had  seen ;  but  in  the  night  the  recollection  of  the 
previous  evening  came  over  him  like  a  flood  ;  he 
looked  out  of  the  window  ;  Maryana  was  on  her 
way  from  the  house  to  the  shed,  attending  to  her 
chores.  Her  mother  had  gone  to  the  vineyard. 
The  father  was  at  the  town  house.  Olyenin 
did  not  wait  until  she  had  finished  all  her  work, 
but  went  out  to  where  she  was.      She  was  in  the 


340  ^-^J"^   COSSACKS. 

khata,  and  was  standing  with  her  back  to  him. 
Olyenin  had  an  idea  that  it  was  maiden  modesty. 

**  Maryana  !  "  said  he,  **  say,  Maryana  !  Can  I 
come  in  ? " 

Suddenly  she  turned  around.  In  her  eyes 
there  seemed  to  be  the  traces  of  tears.  There 
was  a  lovely  melancholy  in  her  face.  She  looked 
at  him,  silent  and  superb. 

Olyenin  said  :  — 

"  Maryana  !  I  have  come  .  .  ." 

"  Stop  !  "  said  she.  Her  face  did  not  change, 
but  tears  sprang  into  her  eyes. 

"  Why  are  you  .  .  .}     What  is  the  matter  } " 

**  Do  you  ask }  "  she  exclaimed,  in  a  broken, 
melancholy  voice.  "  Some  Cossacks  have  been 
killed,  that  is  what  the  trouble  is." 

"  Lukashka  }  "  asked  Olyenin. 

"  Go  away  !  what  do  you  want  1 " 

"  Maryana  !  "  exclaimed  Olyenin,  approaching 
her. 

*'  Never  in  this  world  will  I  have  anything  to  do 
with  you  ! " 

"  Maryana,  don't  say  so  !  "  entreated  Olyenin. 

"  Get  you  gone  !  you  shameless  brute  ! "  cried 
the  girl,  stamping  her  foot,  and  making  a  threat- 
ening gesture  toward  him.  And  such  loathing, 
scorn,  and  anger  were  expressed  in  her  face  that 


THE   COSSACKS.  34 1 

Olyenin  suddenly  realized  that  there  was  no  hope 
for  him,  and  that  what  he  had  thought  in  days 
gone  by,  of  the  distance  between  him  and  this 
woman,  was  indubitable  truth. 

He  made  no  reply,  but  left  her  standing  there. 


CHAPTER   XU. 

On  returning  to  his  room,  he  lay  on  his  bed 
motionless  for  two  hours;  then  he  went  to  his 
company  commander,  and  asked  leave  to  join  the 
staff. 

Without  bidding  good-bye  to  any  one,  and  set- 
tling his  account  with  the  ensign  through  Van- 
yushka,  he  prepared  to  depart  for  the  outpost 
where  the  regiment  was  stationed. 

Uncle  Yeroshka  was  the  only  person  who  came 
to  see  him  off.  They  went  in,  drank  together, 
and  drank  together  again.  Just  the  same  as  at 
his  departure  from  Moscow,  a  hired  troika  stood 
waiting  at  the  door.  But  Olyenin  did  not  now, 
as  then,  make  a  mental  summing-up  of  himself, 
nor  did  he  tell  himself  that  all  that  he  had 
thought  and  done  was  not  the  thing.  There  now 
hovered  before  him  no  promise  of  a  new  life.  He 
loved  Maryana  more  than  ever,  but  now  he  knew 
that  it  would  never  be  possible  for  him  to  be 
loved  by  her. 

"Well,  good-bye,  my  father,"  said  Uncle  Ye- 
342 


THE   COSSACKS.  j^^ 

roshka.  **  You  are  going  to  the  front ;  be  wise, 
listen  to  an  old  man's  advice.  If  you  happen  to 
take  part  in  a  foray  or  anything  of  the  sort  —  you 
see,  I  am  an  old  wolf,  I  have  seen  it  all  —  or  if 
there  is  shooting  going  on,  then  do  not  go  near  a 
crowd  where  there  are  many  people.  It's  always 
the  way  :  if  your  men  get  scared,  they  huddle  all 
together ;  they  think  it's  safer  where  there's  a 
crowd.  But  that's  the  worst  way  of  all.  They 
always  aim  at  a  crowd.  I  always  used  to  get 
as  far  as  possible  from  the  rest,  go  off  alone  by 
myself ;  that's  why  I  was  never  wounded  by 
them.     But  what  haven't  I  seen  in  my  day  }  " 

"  Yes,  but  you  carry  a  bullet  in  your  back," 
insinuated  Vanyusha,  who  was  in  the  room,  pack- 
ing up. 

"That  was  a  little  trick  of  the  Cossacks," 
replied   Yeroshka. 

**  How  the  Cossacks  t  " 

"  This  was  the  way  of  it.  We  were  drinking. 
Vanka  Sitkin  was  a  Cossack,  he  was  quite  drunk 
when  suddenly  he  blazed  away  right  at  me  with 
his  pistol  and  hit  me  right  there." 

"  Say,  did  it  hurt }  "  asked  Olyenin.  —  "  Van- 
yusha, are  we  almost  ready  ?  "  he  added. 

"  Ekh  !  what  are  you  in  such  a  hurry  for }  Let 
me  tell  J^ou.  .  .  .  Yes,  when  he  hit  me,  the  bullet 


344 


THE   COSSACKS. 


did  not  break  the  bone,  and  there  it  stayed.  And 
says  I  :  *  Here,  you've  killed  me,  my  brother ;  did 
you  know  it  ?  What  are  you  going  to  do  with 
me  ?  I  am  not  going  to  take  leave  of  you  in  this 
way.     Just  bring  me  a  gallon  !  '  " 

"  Well,  did  it  hurt  1  "  asked  Olyenin,  for  the 
second  time,  scarcely  listening  to  this  tale. 

"  Let  me  tell  you.  He  gave  me  a  gallon  of 
wine.  We  drank  it.  And  the  blood  kept  flow- 
ing all  the  time.  I  bled  the  whole  cabin  full. 
Grandsire  Burlak  says :  *  Well,  it's  all  up  with 
the  young  fellow.  Give  him  another  shtof '  of 
sweet  vodka  and  then  we  will  settle  your  punish- 
ment.' They  brought  in  still  more.  We  drank 
and  drank  .  .  ." 

"  Well,  was  it  painful  for  you  ?  "  asked  Olyenin, 
for  the  third  time. 

"  Who  cares  about  that  t  Don't  interrupt,  I 
don't  like  it.  Let  me  finish  my  story.  We 
drank  and  drank  .  .  .  kept  it  up  till  morning, 
and  then  I  fell  asleep  on  the  stove,  dead-drunk. 
When  I  woke  up  the  next  day,  I  couldn't 
straighten   up  at  all." 

**  Was  it  very  painful }  "  insisted  Olyenin,  think- 
ing that  now  at  last  he  should  get  a  reply  to  the 
question  that  he  had  asked  so  many  times. 

*  Eight  shtof s  make  a  vedro,  2.70  gallons. 


THE  COSSACKS.  345 

"  What  did  I  tell  you  about  painful  ?  No,  it 
wasn't  painful,  but  I  could  not  straighten  up 
and   I   couldn't   walk." 

"  Well,  you  lived  through  it,  didn't  you  ?  "  said 
Olyenin,  without  a  trace  of  a  smile,  so  heavy 
was  his  heart. 

"  Yes,  I  lived  through  it,  but  the  bullet  is  there 
to  this  day.  Just  feel  it,"  and  he  turned  down 
his  shirt  and  showed  his  solid  back  and  the 
scar  where  the  bullet  had  gone  in,  near  the 
spine. 

"Do  you  see  how  it  moves  about.-*"  said  he, 
evidently  finding  amusement  in  this  bullet,  like 
a  strange  kind  of  toy.  "Here  it  moves  down 
toward   my  hind-quarters." 

"Well,  do  you  think  Lukashka  will  live?" 
asked  Olyenin. 

"Well,  God  knows  him.  There's  no  doMtor 
yet.     They've  sent  for  one." 

"  Where  did  they  get  him  t  From  Groznaya  ? " 
asked  Olyenin. 

"  Nay,  my  father.  I  should  have  hanged  all 
your  Russian  ones  long  ago,  if  I  had  been  tsar. 
All  they  know  is  how  to  hack.  That's  the  way 
they  made  our  Cossack  Baklashef  into  less  than 
a  man  :  —  they  cut  off  his  leg.  They  are  fools. 
,  What's  Baklashef  good  for   now  ?     Nothing,  my 


346  1^^^^   COSSACKS. 

father.  But  in  the  mountains  there  are  do^//tors 
that  are  doctors.  That  was  the  way  with  Bor- 
chik,  my  nyanya.  Once  he  was  wounded  here  in 
the  chest  during  an  expedition ;  your  do/V/tors 
gave  him  up,  but  Saib  came  from  the  mountains 
and  cured  him.  Herbs  are  the  thing,  my 
father." 

"  It's  nonsense  to  talk  that  way,"  said  Olyenin. 
"  I  had  better  send  a  surgeon  from  the  staff." 

"  Nonsense  t "  repeated  the  old  man,  mimick- 
ing his  tone.  —  "  Fool !  fool !  nonsense  !  send  a 
surgeon  !  Yes,  if  your  surgeons  ever  cured,  then 
the  Cossacks  and  the  Chechens,  too,  would  go 
to  you  to  get  cured,  but  they  don't,  and  your 
officers  and  your  colonels  send  for  do;^//tors  from 
the  mountains.  Your  science  is  all  false,  every- 
thing is  all  false  with  you  !  " 

Olyenin  did  not  trouble  to  answer  him.  It 
coincided  too  much  with  his  own  opinion  that 
all  was  false  in  that  world  in  which  he  lived 
and  to  which  he  was  returning. 

"  Well,  how  is  Lukashka }  You  have  seen 
him  }  "  he  asked. 

**  He  lies  like  a  dead  man.  He  does  not  eat 
or  drink  ;  vodka  is  the  only  thing  that  he  does 
not  throw  up.  Well,  if  he  can  drink  vodka  it's 
nothing.     But,  then,  I  am  sorry  for  the  lad.     He 


THE   COSSACKS.  ^^y 

was  a  fine  young  fellow,  a  jigit,  just  like  me. 
Well,  I  came  near  dying  that  way  once.  The 
old  women  were  all  ready  to  lay  me  out.  What 
a  fever  there  was  in  my  head !  They  put  me 
under  the  holy  pictures.  And  so  I  lay  there, 
and  it  seemed  to  me  as  though  a  host  of  little 
drummers  were  beating  the  tattoo  in  my  head. 
I  yell  at  them,  but  they  go  it  all  the  faster." 
(The  old  man  laughed).  "The  women  brought 
the  head  chorister  to  me  ;  they  wanted  to  bury 
me  !  they  said  of  me  :  *  He's  been  worldly^ '  he 
has  been  about  with  women,  he  has  ruined 
his  soul,  he  has  eaten  meat  in  Lent,  he  has 
played  on  the  balalafka.  .  .  .  Confess  him,'  said 
they.  And  I  began  to  confess.  *  I'm  a  sinner,* 
said  I. 

"  The  pope  made  no  answer,  and  I  said  again  : 
*  I'm  a  sinner.'  He  began  to  ask  me  about  the 
balalafka.  *  Where  is  the  cursed  instrument  } '  he 
asked.  '  Tell  me  and  have  it  broken  up.'  But  I 
said :  *  I  hadn't  one.'  You  see,  I  had  hid  it 
in  the  net  in  the  dairy  cabin.  I  knew  that  they 
wouldn't  find  it.  And  so  they  gave  me  up.  And 
that  was  the  end  of  it.     How  I  used  to  scratch 

*  Mirshchilsa :  this  signifies,  among  the  Old  Believers,  that  a 
man  has  mingled  freely  with  the  world  (w/r),  that  is,  with  unbe- 
lievers. 


348 


THE   COSSACKS. 


on  the  balalaika!  .  .  .  But,  as  I  was  just  saying," 
he  went  on,  *'you  heed  my  words  :  go  as  far  as  you 
can  from  the  crowd,  or  else  they  will  be  apt  to  hit 
you.  I'm  sorry  for  you,  that's  a  fact.  You  are 
good  at  drinking,  and  I  like  you.  And  you  fellows 
always  like  to  ride  out  on  the  sand-dunes.  And 
that  was  the  way  one  lived  here  among  us :  he 
came  from  Russia,  he  was  always  riding  out  to 
the  hills,  as  though  a  hill  were  anything  won- 
derful to  see.  As  soon  as  he  sees  a  hillock, 
then  he  gallops  up  to  the  top  of  it.  He  gal- 
loped that  way  once  too  often.  How  happy 
he  was  !  But  a  Chechenets  saw,  shot  at  him  and 
killed  him.  Ekh  !  the  Chechens  are  crack  shots 
when  they  have  a  rest  for  their  guns  !  Better 
than  I  am.  It  was  too  bad  to  kill  him  that 
mean  way.  I  used  to  look  at  your  men  and  be 
surprised.  What  stupidity  !  "  exclaimed  the  ^old 
man,  shirking  his  head.  —  "  And  so  you  just  go 
to  gne  side  and  stand  by  yourself.  On  my 
word,  that's  the  way  to  do.  You  see,  he  won't 
take  notice  of  you.  ...  So  be  sure  to  do  that 
way." 

"  Well,  I  am  much  obliged.  Good-bye,  uncle  ! 
If  God  grants,  we  may  meet  again,"  said  Olyenin, 
getting  up  and  going  out  into  the  entry. 

The  old  man  still  continued  to  sit  on  the  floor. 


THE   COSSACKS. 


349 


"  Is  that  the  way  you  say  good-bye  ?  Fool ! 
Fool  ! "  he  exclaimed.  **  Ekh-ma !  what  peo- 
ple you  are  !  We  have  kept  one  another  com- 
pany for  a  whole  year,  we  have !  *  Good-bye ' 
and  it's  all  over !  You  know  I  like  you,  and 
how  I  shall  miss  you!  You  are  so  lonesome, 
so  lonesome  !  You  and  I,  people  don't  like  us. 
I  sha'n't  sleep  at  all  for  thinking  of  you,  I  shall 
miss  you  so  !     As  the  song  goes  :  — 

"  '  'Tis  hard,  beloved  brother, 
To  live  on  a  foreign  shore.' 

And  so  it  is  with  you  ! " 

"  Well,  good-bye,"  said  Olyenin,  once  more. 

The  old  man  arose  and  gave  him  his  hand  ;  he 
took  it  and  was  about  to  start. 

"  Your  mouth,  give  us  your  mouth  !  " 

The  old  rnan  clasped  his  head  between  his  tWo 
stout  hands,  kissed  him  three  times  with  his  moist 
lips  and  moustache,  and  dropped  a  tear. 

"  I  like  you.     Good-bye." 

Olyenin  took  his  place  in  the  telyega. 

"  WhaSl  is  that  the  way  you  go  !  Can't  you 
give  me  something  to  remember  you  by,  my 
father }  Give  me  your  gun  !  You  have  two 
any  way,"  said  the  old  man,  breaking  into  gen- 
uine sobs. 


350 


THE   COSSACKS. 


Olyenin  took  his  gun  and  gave  it  to  him. 

"  What  makes  you  give  it  to  that  old  man  !  '* 
exclaimed  Vanyusha.  "  It's  all  wrong  !  The  old 
beggar  !  These  unconscionable  people  !  "  he  con- 
tinued, wrapping  himself  up  in  his  overcoat  and 
taking  his  place  forward. 

"  Shut  up,  you  hog,"  cried  the  old  man,  with  a 
laugh.     "  You  see,  you're  a  miser  !  " 

Maryana  came  out  of  the  khata,  gave  an  indif- 
ferent glance  at  the  troi'ka,  and,  making  a  little 
bow,  went  back  in  again. 

^^  La  fill''  exclaimed  Vanyusha,  winking  and 
laughing  heartily. 

*'  Go  on  !  "  cried  Olyenin,  sternly. 

"  Good-bye,  father,  good-bye.  I  sha'n't  forget 
you,"  shouted  Yeroshka. 

Olyenin  looked  around.  Uncle  Yeroshka  was 
talking  with  Maryana,  evidently  about  his  own 
affairs,  and  neither  the  old  man  nor  the  girl 
gave  him  a  parting  glance. 


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